A OK?

 Hovering out on the ragged edge of civilization right now is the phenomenon we’re suddenly hearing so much about called AI. Thinking and conceptualizing beyond the human mind. Already teachers are becoming increasingly wary of who or what is doing the writing on tests and assignments. Is the intelligence human or artificial?

Think of it as Photoshop for the mind. Just as you can take a simple photo of a dog and instantly put him in a desert, a ship at sea, or in outer space, so too can essays and treatises be written by tapping into the vast database of what exists or what is possible. Like most of us, I barely understand all this myself. However, what seems to be screaming at me is the question, how on earth will we ever be able to tell what is real and what is not? Think of the consequences. Will our collective personalities become increasingly skeptical or paranoid? What a life huh? 

Much like the inception of nuclear energy, human nature is truly going to be put to the test. Game changer is a huge understatement.  What is clear at this moment in time is that we can't stop or even slow down this encroachment, so we're going to have to learn to adapt and deal with it.  Like those of us advanced in years, I often find myself saying, "Well, I won't be around to see some of the negative consequences."  But, even that may not be true.  

I'm wondering if this new technology will make our culture even more paranoid and distrustful?  How could it not?  It is going to take some superhuman efforts to avoid falling into the pitfalls that AI is sure to bring.  Human nature will get a real test here.  UNLESS it becomes abundantly clear that we must never let anything artificial do our thinking for us?  Some in the know feel very positive about the future.  Their faith in humanity says that ultimately people will do the right thing and never succumb to letting a computer have the final say about what they think, feel, or will morally accept.  

It's clear now, in the post-pandemic era, that our public education system needs a new paradigm.  What better reason to begin the overhaul than the coming of AI.  It's at once terrifying, yet exciting to see where this will go.  Faith denied,  or faith restored?

Transcend Cynicism

 In a recent interview, author Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah talked about transcending cynicism. He says we have to be willing to do that. I couldn’t agree more. But finding the will to act is no easy matter. The reasons we’re experiencing what feels like an epidemic of cynicism are many. some days it feels like piling on.

Daily we see people instantly becoming the victims of mass shootings (200 already this year), we see the senseless war in Ukraine, the thousands swarming the Southern border, and the breakdown of the political process in our country. The difficult economic times have always triggered a sharp rise in hate speech, racism, and violence. When a package of crackers costs almost $8.00 and a cup of coffee is over$2.00 it’s easy to be cynical.

Just when we think we’ve rounded up these big issues, others appear fully blown. The climate crisis and the rise of AI both bring new stress lines to our faces. Animals continue to disappear and water looms as the challenge for future survival.

Mental health is, of course, one of the by-products of becoming so negative. To say that we are experiencing a national mental health crisis is not an understatement. It seems as if all the support services that underpin our social structure have taken a vacation. People call 911 for emergency services and sometimes do not get a response. When they do get one, it is often not very timely.

Here’s where we have to dig deep. I’d Love to see the finest minds come together, take some risks, and generate some solutions. At least attempt to do so. Even failed attempts to rectify some of these social ills would be welcomed. Transcend the cynicism and you transcend the cynic, no?