I’ve spent a substantial amount of time researching and working with GPT-4 and other AI tools. And I’m honestly tired of the unbalanced discourse happening right now. It’s possible to be both curious and optimistic about AI while also reflecting on its consequences. I for one will not subscribe to the cult-like behavior we’re seeing on LinkedIn and Twitter anymore.
What no one seems to be talking about
Here’s some of what I think is not being said by people like me:
Imagine every single message you receive anywhere could have been fine-tuned, made longer, or generated entirely from scratch. That’s where we’re heading. Just watch the latest Google tool trailer for Google Workspaces with its “I’m feeling lucky” button for any conversation. It fucking sucks.
Truth will die. No conversation will be genuine anymore. You can soon not trust any single interaction by another human. Not your loved ones, not your friends, not random encounters. Anyone could be copiloting their life, and probably most will.
The human race will plateau creatively. Individually, we will feel infinitely enlightened in this moment. Nothing greater has ever been given to us. But as a global organism, this is the death and final stage of enlightenment for all of us. The amount of data remixing around us will overshadow and drown out any new real thoughts.
The conflict within me
I’m curious about technology. I’m curious about AI. I can find many cases where AI is only a small supplement to human interactions and where it elegantly releases potential we have in us. Sadly, I don’t think that’s where we’re going to stay.
Everywhere around us, AI tools will leak in and remove genuine interactions, leaving us with a weird feeling of AI-generated content all around us. Each of us will see it everywhere: in emails, text messages, video, advertisements, news, and real-life conversations using smart glasses soon. Yeah, the person in front of you might be copiloted soon.
A pessimistic outlook
Pessimistic, yeah. I know. Sorry. But that’s the real talk people like me should also be sharing… All is not great.
Maybe I’m wrong, but what if I’m not? “The death of all genuine conversations.” It fucking sucks.
As a small drop in the bucket, I’ve added this to my email signature:
“I won’t be using AI to generate my part of the conversation and I 🤞 you won’t either. Let’s keep conversations human and genuine.”
A plea for humanity
Let’s try to stay genuine. I’d rather get a short, clear, and genuine message from you than some generated convoluted copilot plur.
I feel like we’re turning a blind eye to the potential loss of what makes human connection special. While most technologists focus on capabilities and potential benefits, few are willing to address the deeper implications for human-to-human interaction.
At the risk of sounding like a luddite (which I’m definitely not), I think we need to have an honest conversation about how much we want AI to mediate our relationships with each other.
Will we reach a point where we need to specifically seek out “AI-free” interactions? Will “human-written” become a selling point for content? Perhaps the most valuable thing in the near future will be knowing that you’re connecting with an actual, unaugmented human consciousness.
I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that I value genuine human connection too much to see it eroded without at least raising my voice. If you want to discuss AI and GPT-4 with someone who’s spent a substantial amount of time researching and working with it, but who doesn’t unconditionally drink the Kool-Aid… let me know.
At least you’ll know it’s really me talking.