AI OR FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER

Initial research for a presentation about AI and Shamanism

On my birthday, in March 2023, I got talking to our youngest son about my death (which is not a taboo subject in our house!) He said:

“But Mum, you may never die! They will probably turn you into a Chatbot after your death and you will continue to give spiritual guidance to people, just like you are doing now!”

That was the exact moment I decided that I needed to pay more attention to AI and how the advent of AI will change our world as much (or arguably far more so) as the Internet did.

On my birthday, in March 2023, I got talking to our youngest son about my death (which is not a taboo subject in our house!) He said:

“But Mum, you may never die! They will probably turn you into a Chatbot after your death and you will continue to give spiritual guidance to people, just like you are doing now!”

That was the exact moment I decided that I needed to pay more attention to AI and how the advent of AI will change our world as much (or arguably far more so) as the Internet did.

Our eldest son (23) then offered to give me an AI tutorial. Of course I accepted his offer because:

A) This is a topic I am actively tracking

B) As a mother/teacher I want to know especially how AI will affect the lives of young people. Our own three sons especially but really all young people who will live longer into the future than I am likely to. (Meaning: the last generation of people who will remember a world “Before AI”!)

Eldest son introduced me to ChatGPT. He uses it primarily for inspiration. For him a favourite lark is asking it to write poems on extremely boring topics!

He reports that a similar program many young people use is Midjourney, which (based on his description) is image-based, like Night Café.

He showed me a number of applications. You can ask ChatGPT to write a summary, essay or even an entire book.

Dwelling on that particular topic for a moment: just this week I learned that there are now books written by AI about mushrooms, available from amazon. However, the AI “authors” have made dangerous identification errors (because obviously they have never picked or eaten a mushroom!) As there is a very fine line between edible mushrooms and deadly lookalikes, this example of misinformation could cost human lives! So please check out the author before you buy a book. Many authors are already badly impacted by the advent of AI. Be mindful!

I wanted to know how far this function goes and typed in: “Tell me about Imelda Almqvist”. The picture below is a screenshot of the reply:

Apparently I died after a long illness in 2021, which makes me wonder whether I am already a ghost (or Chatbot!), communicating with you all  from the Afterlife. And unaware that I am dead, I still show up for teaching engagements as well, haunting many students along the way. (Only joking but you get my drift!)

And just to be very clear: the text in the screenshot was written by AI but this blog (the piece you are reading right now) was written by The Real (Human) Imelda.

As a teacher, how will I know that my students wrote essays themselves and created artwork themselves?

My son has pointed out that the information AI uses (this open resoure program anyway) can access only everything that was available on the internet until 2021.

I asked ChatGPT why:

“I can only access information up to September 2021 because that is the date when my training data was last updated. My knowledge is based on the text and data available up to that point, and I do not have access to the internet or real-time information to update my knowledge beyond that date. OpenAI periodically updates its models, but as of my last update in September 2021, I do not have access to information or events that occurred after that date.”

I wonder how soon that will change. And how soon we will have no online privacy to speak of because everything we do, including our medical records, will be processed and accessed by AI?

I will be writing more about this topic in the months of come, but just for now.

Did you know that:

There are already many AI influencers with a huge following on Instagram. In their photographs they look like Only Fans models (but hotter and more flawless, perfectly symmetrical).

The world of pornography already keeps a close eye on AI and is exploring whether AI pornography could cater for “special needs” such as personalized pornography (just submit a picture of the person you fancy or even create a fantasy character, your dream man or woman).

Then there is the sprawling and highly profitable paedophilia market: is it OK for people to look at artificially created images of children (not real children) animated by IA bots with children’s voices, eager to engage in sex talk and virtual sexual acts with adults?

And I think that the physical versions of those bots will follow soon enough, which opens up even more possibilities (and frightening scenarios). Will a day dawn where we can no longer tell the different between a human and an AI humanoid or bot?

Many teens already have AI friends they run to and confide in. Next might be an AI therapist? On call 24/7? With no training whatsoever in psychotherapy, psychiatry or clinical psychology?

And it is very unlikely, but how would I feel if someone uploaded a virtual version of me as their personal SexBot. I very much doubt I am at risk, but I fear many young people are or will be!

In the world of spirituality we often hear people remind us that “we are multi-dimensional”. This popular idea appears to be connected to something called Many Worlds Theory (MWT) in physics, coined in 1954 by a Princeton student called Hugh Everett. He suggested that the observation of quantum matter creates a split in the universe. In other words, the universe makes copies of itself to account for all the possibilities and these duplicates will proceed independently.

In plain English this would mean that any action which has more than one possible result produces a split or fork in the Universe. Thus, there are an infinite number of parallel universes and infinite copies of each person!

AI already appears to offer options of making this everyday reality. Soon we may be able to visit limitless versions of ourselves in a virtual universe. Will that be even more fascinating than watching a psychological thriller?

How will all this skew the debate in society about MAPS (Minor Attracted People, as paedophiles now prefer to call themselves)?

The idea has already been floated that in the future all young people’s first romantic experience will be with a Chatbot designed to their own preferences? (The underlying idea is that they will gain dating experience in a “soft” way, a trial run where they are not rejected, but won’t it spoil them for the messiness and misunderstandings of real human relationships?)

And I would rather not try to imagine a world where Chatbots spend 24 hours a day catfishing real people and scamming them out of their life savings.

Catfishing is an act of deception where a fictional person or fake identity is created on social media, to target a particular victim. This practice is often used for financial gain (Nigerian romance scammers have become notorious) but I can also be used to compromise people in other ways (expose them sexually or lure them away from their life partner with the promise of a dream partner who is 30 years younger and looks like a movie star etc.)

And rather than visiting elderly people, will we give them a ChatBot for company instead? Ideally one that can run errands as well?

On a lighter note: you can of course ask ChatGPT to write your social media posts for you. I asked it to write me one:

🌟 Exciting News Alert! 🌟

Hey everyone! I'm thrilled to share some exciting updates with you all. 📣

🌿 First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for the incredible support and inspiration you all provide. Your messages and stories continue to motivate me every day.

📚 Education Update: I've been working hard on some fantastic new resources and courses to help you explore the realms of spirituality, shamanism, and sacred art. Stay tuned for more details on these upcoming offerings that will empower you on your spiritual journey.

🖌️ Creative Ventures: Art has always been a profound way for me to connect with the spiritual world. I'm excited to announce that I'll be unveiling a series of unique art pieces soon, inspired by my travels and experiences. Can't wait to share them with you all!

🌍 Speaking Engagements: I'll be attending some incredible events and speaking engagements in the coming months. Keep an eye on my schedule as I hope to connect with many of you in person!

📖 Book News: For those of you who've been asking, I'm diligently working on my next book. It's a labour of love, and I can't wait to share more about it soon.

Thank you for being a part of this amazing journey. Let's continue to explore the mysteries of the universe together. 🌌

Stay tuned for more updates, and please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas. Your feedback means the world to me. 💫

With love and light, Imelda Almqvist 💖✨ #Spirituality #Shamanism #Art #Education #Gratitude

Make of that whatever you will…

Conclusion

My presentation will focus primarily on what shamanism (or shamanic tools) can teach us about AI. This blog only shares some initial research findings.

It is my personal opinion that governments need to step in at this point, and impose limits on how AI can be used. Just like we have health and safety regulations around drugs, alcohol, flight safety protocols, safeguarding issues and the age of consent (to mention but a few). Ideally governments also need to come to global agreements between them (which is going to be near-impossible, in the current political climate).

I absolutely believe that AI can be beneficial to humanity in many ways (with proper supervision and regulation) but it could easily go the other way too and unleash Frankenstein’s Monster.

In 1818 Mary Shelley wrote a novel which told the story of a scientist called Victor Frankenstein. He creates a sentient but hideous giant creature, feared by all.

Here is the rub, the finale:

The monster or creature demands that Victor create a female companion for him. He argues that as a living being, he has a right to happiness. The monster-creature promises that he and his mate will then vanish into the South American wilderness, never to be seen again, if Victor grants his request. However, should Victor refuse, the monster-creature threatens to kill Victor's remaining friends and loved ones and not stop wreaking havoc until the scientist is ruined. Fearing for his family’s wellbeing, Victor reluctantly agrees…

And just for the record: what usually happens when a male monster meets a female companion? Multiply thyself! A brood of hungry baby monsters roaming our planet…

Imelda Almqvist, Forest House, Sweden