Just got around to this piece in my inbox! (I'm a little behind.)
I would highly recommend this Econtalk interview, that considers how a predictive text language model's success depends on largely on the predictability and unoriginality of the humans who wrote the material that trained it. (A mouthful, I know. https://www.econtalk.org/ian-leslie-on-being-human-in-the-age-of-ai/)
The previous GPT-3 language models of a few years ago were amazing, in the sense that you could feed it ridiculous queries and get hilarious results. "How many turduckens can I fit in my mouth?" It was fascinating in what it could do, but clearly limited by what it couldn't do.
The latest model is truly incredible. I had a really interesting conversation with it about the benefits and challenges of reading the Iliad. I asked it to compose a short, Star Wars-themed Christmas story. The r/ChatGPT subreddit is full of really interesting interactions that probe the capabilities and limitations. I don't think it's incredible because I think it is actually "Artificial Intelligence". I don't think it's about to take over the world, a la The Matrix.
But, it is going to change the world the way the calculator has. And the locomotive. And social media. Insidiously. With real economic benefits and human liabilities, as you astutely point out. Just as math students at some point become merely calculator operators, I think many language students may become language model operators. It is a sad reality. The plow shapes the field, and it shapes the plowman.
I think it's okay to be in awe of the power of the locomotive, recognize the economic benefits we get from them, and critical of the way trains have concentrated wealth and violated the land. The more we can understand this beast, the better we can be prepared for the future. The future will belong, more and more, to those who can think. That will be the scarcest and most valuable commodity.
"I think it's okay to be in awe of the power of the locomotive, recognize the economic benefits we get from them, and critical of the way trains have concentrated wealth and violated the land. The more we can understand this beast, the better we can be prepared for the future." Yes. I think that's my point, and was the point of the Luddites. Not that the technological developments aren't worth marveling at sometimes, but that there's no reason to accept them uncritically. The Luddites saw that the new machines were benefiting only the mill owners -- they themselves were being pushed out of jobs -- and what they wanted was better worker protections and a fairer economy where technological development didn't mean they risked starvation. But also, they objected to the shoddy work being put out.
Since I work as a copy editor, I assumed some years ago that my job would be automated sooner rather than later. My spouse finally mentioned at one point that it's just not worth the money someone would take to develop it. And even without AI as competition for my work, the value of thoughtful language has plummeted over the past 20 years; what I'm interested in seeing is more clients like the ones I work for who continue caring -- and paying for good work! -- anyway. It's curious to know who cares.
So cool! I thought I learned a lot reading your essays and now I can double that gain by reading the comments! Your readership's knowledge and thoughtfulness is remarkable! Thanks everyone here for expanding my consciousness :-) very cool community!
Thank you for this lovely gift. Both your thoughts about AI and attention and these recommendations - I want to read and listen to all of them! I have a similar version of your challenge to counter the beguilement of AI, to turn to consider and nurture human potential. Mine goes something like - what if we turn our attention to the countless marvels of our non-human kin, in the places where we live? AI leaves me cold but exploring my relationship with other beings is a source of endless fascination, wonder, awe and gratitude.
YES. Absolutely agree. I was reading in the Kindred anthology recently (I think it was in there) about how miraculous and un-knowable to the colonial mindset the life cycle of salmon and the way they spawn, or how it takes monarch butterflies three generations to migrate south. Like, HOW??? It's amazing and mind-blowing and what more do we need than to marvel at it all?
If there's one of those in the list you might really like, it's probably the interview with Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth. I love the way they talk about relationship and responsibility, and even approaching a garden differently. The book they edited was wonderful, one I keep dipping back into.
Just had to come back to say - that podcast w/ Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth is AMAZING! I'm definitely going to read that book now. Thanks for the recommendation. ❤️
Ooh, thank you! I haven't gotten to Nutmeg's Curse yet (it's on my pile) but I keep going back into The Great Derangement and finding new things. He's able to get at something I would love to think more about -- how we employ story and how storytellers (I think he means reporter-journalists but also a lot of fiction) are failing the needs of our times.
I read Great Derangement after reading that interview (and you can listen too!). I agree - he’s making a case for better storytelling. It fuels my work, for sure!
I've hit a point where I don't know whether I'm better off, time wise, and attention-wise, listening to or reading things. 😅 But I REALLY like having the option. Especially for sharing. I know transcripts are a lot of work for people, but when I share a podcast it's nice to know that people who prefer to read rather than listen can still access it if they want.
What captured this cowboy's attention this evening (and was not vying with the real world to commodify and exploit me) was dippers. As I walked the planks covering the steel railroad car bridge over the river, they were swimming, darting and frolicking below. They splashed from the cold water onto rocks and snags. As I always do on this bridge I myself dipped as these friendly birds do. Whether or not this gesture of affinity is understood by the birds, of course they noticed it, as beings are naturally tuned acutely into their surroundings and can’t help but be aware of such things. If they sensed as well my delight in their their presence, perhaps my dipping meant something to them as well. The deepest prayer I have to offer the world is the delight in being at this place at this very moment. If both we and our tools become too robotic, we loose not only the delight of life sustaining activity but also the delight in being our selves in our sensuous immersion in the world. Whether we make cars, clothing, weapons, food, homes, robots or railroad car bridges, what we inevitably produce as bi-products in ever increasing amounts is toxic residues.
"Perhaps my dipping meant something to them as well." Wonderful to think about it this way.
And yes. I've written about this elsewhere, but short version is that I do think there's a big difference in technology when it comes to a lot of human made things that do little but damage and are made only to serve humans without regard for impacts on the rest of life.
Reminds me of what Laurie Anderson always quote about technology, which is a quote from a cyber expert (can’t remember the name) : “if you think technology can solve your problems, you don’t understand technology and you don’t understand your problems”
Absolutely excellent. So true! We seem to be stuck in that paradigm, but it's heartening to know how many people are dedicated to thinking about it differently.
Laurie Anderson is such a creative genius. The Hirshhorn Museum had a marvelous retrospective - designed and installed by her, ofc - last year. Her wisdom only grows with each passing year.
Oh my gosh, and here I am chagrined that I didn't think of quoting her. I literally have a bracelet I wear all the time with those lines engraved on it! (This is probably what I get for not being a poet.)
Just got around to this piece in my inbox! (I'm a little behind.)
I would highly recommend this Econtalk interview, that considers how a predictive text language model's success depends on largely on the predictability and unoriginality of the humans who wrote the material that trained it. (A mouthful, I know. https://www.econtalk.org/ian-leslie-on-being-human-in-the-age-of-ai/)
The previous GPT-3 language models of a few years ago were amazing, in the sense that you could feed it ridiculous queries and get hilarious results. "How many turduckens can I fit in my mouth?" It was fascinating in what it could do, but clearly limited by what it couldn't do.
The latest model is truly incredible. I had a really interesting conversation with it about the benefits and challenges of reading the Iliad. I asked it to compose a short, Star Wars-themed Christmas story. The r/ChatGPT subreddit is full of really interesting interactions that probe the capabilities and limitations. I don't think it's incredible because I think it is actually "Artificial Intelligence". I don't think it's about to take over the world, a la The Matrix.
But, it is going to change the world the way the calculator has. And the locomotive. And social media. Insidiously. With real economic benefits and human liabilities, as you astutely point out. Just as math students at some point become merely calculator operators, I think many language students may become language model operators. It is a sad reality. The plow shapes the field, and it shapes the plowman.
I think it's okay to be in awe of the power of the locomotive, recognize the economic benefits we get from them, and critical of the way trains have concentrated wealth and violated the land. The more we can understand this beast, the better we can be prepared for the future. The future will belong, more and more, to those who can think. That will be the scarcest and most valuable commodity.
"I think it's okay to be in awe of the power of the locomotive, recognize the economic benefits we get from them, and critical of the way trains have concentrated wealth and violated the land. The more we can understand this beast, the better we can be prepared for the future." Yes. I think that's my point, and was the point of the Luddites. Not that the technological developments aren't worth marveling at sometimes, but that there's no reason to accept them uncritically. The Luddites saw that the new machines were benefiting only the mill owners -- they themselves were being pushed out of jobs -- and what they wanted was better worker protections and a fairer economy where technological development didn't mean they risked starvation. But also, they objected to the shoddy work being put out.
Since I work as a copy editor, I assumed some years ago that my job would be automated sooner rather than later. My spouse finally mentioned at one point that it's just not worth the money someone would take to develop it. And even without AI as competition for my work, the value of thoughtful language has plummeted over the past 20 years; what I'm interested in seeing is more clients like the ones I work for who continue caring -- and paying for good work! -- anyway. It's curious to know who cares.
Love this piece. I am reminded of something I heard Dr. Iain McGilchrist utter during a conversation I listened to a couple of months ago:
"Attention is a moral act because it changes what is actually there in the world for us to find. It changes us."
We must take care in how we attend to the world. It matters.
I LOVE that. Wow. That hits me right where it matters. Thank you! 🙏
So cool! I thought I learned a lot reading your essays and now I can double that gain by reading the comments! Your readership's knowledge and thoughtfulness is remarkable! Thanks everyone here for expanding my consciousness :-) very cool community!
I really like all the ideas people share here! And the readings and everything else. It feels like a gift to be connected. 😊
Thank you for this lovely gift. Both your thoughts about AI and attention and these recommendations - I want to read and listen to all of them! I have a similar version of your challenge to counter the beguilement of AI, to turn to consider and nurture human potential. Mine goes something like - what if we turn our attention to the countless marvels of our non-human kin, in the places where we live? AI leaves me cold but exploring my relationship with other beings is a source of endless fascination, wonder, awe and gratitude.
Didn't Stephen Buhner talk of this as "biophilia" in "THE LOST LANGUAGE OF PLANTS"?
I thought it was E.O. Wilson who coined that term but it turns out it was Erich Fromm: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8334556/
That book sounds interesting, not one I've read!
YES. Absolutely agree. I was reading in the Kindred anthology recently (I think it was in there) about how miraculous and un-knowable to the colonial mindset the life cycle of salmon and the way they spawn, or how it takes monarch butterflies three generations to migrate south. Like, HOW??? It's amazing and mind-blowing and what more do we need than to marvel at it all?
If there's one of those in the list you might really like, it's probably the interview with Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth. I love the way they talk about relationship and responsibility, and even approaching a garden differently. The book they edited was wonderful, one I keep dipping back into.
Just had to come back to say - that podcast w/ Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth is AMAZING! I'm definitely going to read that book now. Thanks for the recommendation. ❤️
I'm so glad! Every time I open that book, I feel like I rediscover it anew, like there's always something new to learn. 🧡
Thanks. Will check it out this weekend. Just re-read this one with my students. https://emergencemagazine.org/interview/beings-seen-and-unseen/
Also wanted to share this Substack, in case you haven’t seen it. From a thinker and teacher I admire. https://open.substack.com/pub/dougald/p/first-there-must-be-an-end?r=4cg2x&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Thank you!
I recognize that name. Was he involved in the Dark Mountain project at some point? Or maybe something else.
Yes, he’s one of the co-founders. Met him in 2014 on a course at Schumacher College.
Ooh, thank you! I haven't gotten to Nutmeg's Curse yet (it's on my pile) but I keep going back into The Great Derangement and finding new things. He's able to get at something I would love to think more about -- how we employ story and how storytellers (I think he means reporter-journalists but also a lot of fiction) are failing the needs of our times.
I read Great Derangement after reading that interview (and you can listen too!). I agree - he’s making a case for better storytelling. It fuels my work, for sure!
I've hit a point where I don't know whether I'm better off, time wise, and attention-wise, listening to or reading things. 😅 But I REALLY like having the option. Especially for sharing. I know transcripts are a lot of work for people, but when I share a podcast it's nice to know that people who prefer to read rather than listen can still access it if they want.
Same. I use both in my teaching and the students seem to appreciate it. I know I do!
What captured this cowboy's attention this evening (and was not vying with the real world to commodify and exploit me) was dippers. As I walked the planks covering the steel railroad car bridge over the river, they were swimming, darting and frolicking below. They splashed from the cold water onto rocks and snags. As I always do on this bridge I myself dipped as these friendly birds do. Whether or not this gesture of affinity is understood by the birds, of course they noticed it, as beings are naturally tuned acutely into their surroundings and can’t help but be aware of such things. If they sensed as well my delight in their their presence, perhaps my dipping meant something to them as well. The deepest prayer I have to offer the world is the delight in being at this place at this very moment. If both we and our tools become too robotic, we loose not only the delight of life sustaining activity but also the delight in being our selves in our sensuous immersion in the world. Whether we make cars, clothing, weapons, food, homes, robots or railroad car bridges, what we inevitably produce as bi-products in ever increasing amounts is toxic residues.
"Perhaps my dipping meant something to them as well." Wonderful to think about it this way.
And yes. I've written about this elsewhere, but short version is that I do think there's a big difference in technology when it comes to a lot of human made things that do little but damage and are made only to serve humans without regard for impacts on the rest of life.
Reminds me of what Laurie Anderson always quote about technology, which is a quote from a cyber expert (can’t remember the name) : “if you think technology can solve your problems, you don’t understand technology and you don’t understand your problems”
Absolutely excellent. So true! We seem to be stuck in that paradigm, but it's heartening to know how many people are dedicated to thinking about it differently.
Laurie Anderson is such a creative genius. The Hirshhorn Museum had a marvelous retrospective - designed and installed by her, ofc - last year. Her wisdom only grows with each passing year.
That would be cool to see!
I’d post some photos here if I could. 😊
Yet again so thoughtful. No prescription except that people should commit to thinking rather than ride the wave.
Thank you Mark! And yes, here's to thinking. 🤔
So good. Thank you
Thank you!
Long comment redacted and replaced with: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I don't know whether to 😂 or 🧡 but since it's you I'm betting on 🧡🧡🧡. 🙏
Safe Bet 👍
😉🙏
Spot on as usual, Antonia; thank you! Mary Oliver was right: to pay attention - this is our endless and proper work.
Oh my gosh, and here I am chagrined that I didn't think of quoting her. I literally have a bracelet I wear all the time with those lines engraved on it! (This is probably what I get for not being a poet.)
Thank you, Greg, as always. 🧡
🙏🏻❤️