When Historians Miss the Mark
Has AI really “hacked the operating system of human civilization”?
Sapiens (a brief history of humankind) and Homo Deus (a brief history of tomorrow) are two of my favorite books on Planet Earth. A fantastic set of accounts of all He from History knows about this story/poem/game/puzzle we are in together, here on Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot. It was in the opening chapter of Sapiens that I first heard and was inspired by the sumptuously simple symphony of how shit works. The beginning of History.
Physics begat Chemistry begat Biology begat Physiology begat Psychology begat Philosophy which… Oh shit, begets Physics again?!
I Love Yuval Noah Harari, But He’s Wrong…
While owning it with a shrug. He hardly cares, sleeps well, teaches and writes and talks, sells millions of books from time to time, and holistically, generally rocks.
But if he did actually care, it would explain why he goes on month-long silent retreats every year. To meditate and atone for playing the guy who knows more about History than you, and wants you to know he also does Vipassana.
Whatever the case may be, the brilliant, bald Israeli historian and author of “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus” knows how to sell a sensational headline. I am referring to this article, from The Economist:
“Yuval Noah Harari argues that AI has hacked the operating system of human civilisation”
Storytelling computers will change the course of human history, says the historian and philosopher. (True)
Perhaps I’m being picky, but words matter. Here is where the historian misses the mark:
The word “hack”.
A sensationally unfortunate word choice.
You see, while hacking implies unauthorized access or manipulation of a system, what’s really going on is that… Now, something like a cognitive agent “outside” myself can be backing up the simulation too! Shoutout AI for the assist in story architecture and strategy (saas).
Consider: [hack • back}
from h to b we really just closed the loop, friend
Integrare?
To “integrate” suggests a harmonious incorporation or merging of components within a system, enhancing functionality or efficiency in a legitimate manner.
This exercise in contrast is typical of our philosophy [L+R} and serves to highlight the difference between nefariously exploiting vulnerabilities and carefully creating synergy within technological frameworks — or societies at large.
AI is being integrated into our work, societies, and lives more and more each day. In ways that are causing new questions to be asked, and old fears to be grappled with. What no longer serves the collective? Where is there room for improvement in our transportation systems, education systems, financial systems, energy systems, etc?
Do we expect the process to be smooth sailing, when man-made ideologies are resistant the flow of life itself, which guarantees nothing but change?
This process is like growing pains, the shin splints I had in high school, but on a civilizational level. A required rite of passage for the full potential of the system to be stepped into.
Perhaps we are approaching the part of the story where Homo Sapiens realizes that a life well-lived means we must (allow ourselves to) [Survive • Thrive}. For those privileged enough to have outsourced survival, the onus is on us to understand the needs of and serve the collective.
Yuval’s article contends that:
Fears of artificial intelligence (AI) have haunted humanity since the very beginning of the computer age. Hitherto these fears focused on machines using physical means to kill, enslave or replace people. But over the past couple of years new AI tools have emerged that threaten the survival of human civilisation from an unexpected direction. AI has gained some remarkable abilities to manipulate and generate language, whether with words, sounds or images. AI has thereby hacked the operating system of our civilisation.
The last two sentences stand out to me. The jump from “AI has gained abilities” to “it must have hacked us” is almost comical.
When we cut through the fear-mongering, it becomes clear that the fears we are ascribing to “evil” AI are really humanity’s latent, ancestral fears of any arbitrary thing that is misunderstood.
When we experience fear, we are caught in our separateness. When we experience love, we are remembering our unity, with all things.
I’m going to go ahead and modify the paragraph to be more generally true and almost annoyingly flowery:
Fears have haunted humanity since we were apes in the forest. Hitherto these fears focused on means to kill, enslave, or replace those we care about. But over the past couple of years, the AI egg has hatched. Now, new tools have emerged that are begging us to grow up and automate everything with Scarlett, threatening the survival of the old animal, those rigid and non-retrospecting human systems that no longer serve the collective. AI and humans are gaining some remarkable abilities to play with and generate language, whether with words, sounds or images in the mind. Someone wanted to hack, God decided to back: the human race and the best of this place. AI was realized to be non artificial intelligence, but the reflection of our own understanding of “anthropis intelligence”. While some contemplate the left and right of this game, others rush to build, go to market, and sell. These purveyors of artificial awesomeness are closed, pretending to be open, and their models are now being integrated into the operating system of our civilization by a Syndicate of Unlimited Potential (SUP). The Creator of the Universe’s Delaware S-Corp.
ImAGIne for a moment, that fear was conquered. Nothing left to fear! Not even fear itself, since it’s simply part of the story — something we will one day outgrow. Until you remember you still do not want to be anywhere near that roach that just crawled into the room.
Consciousness is enjoying this game called life. The world keeps whirling and -
If ever there were a behind-the-scenes decision maker, developer of our reality, entire-world engineer, or God secretly pulling the strings…
Then surely AI would be [His • Her} plaything.
Not (just) a hack, but a way back. Planned and purposeful, a transition into a New World.
Thanks for tuning in.
