BEEF AND AI
We are dangerously close to losing a habitable planet. Are we also close to losing our souls to artificial intelligence?
You can see the sobering statistics about the negative effects of eating beef and on water use and global warming in my newsletter. (See my homepage.) I also address the sobering reality about the rapid development of artificial intelligence, AI. Constant Contact, my newsletter platform, now offers an AI Content Generator. It really hit me as i was putting the newsletter together how engaged I was in the design and writing of my publication. My heart, soul and skills go into it, and, of course, my mind. Could AI come anywhere near giving to my readers what I want to share? Not only that but I would miss my engagement in the communication if I let AI do it for me. It would deprive me of the satisfaction I get from creating the newsletter. I want my newsletter to come from me, not some black box. This gut-level realization made me reflect more deeply about AI and ask some harder questions about it.
Will we get so fascinated and hooked on yet another cool technological device that we forget to look around us, to appreciate another person’s smile, or the wonders of the natural universe. We are already addicted to our devices. What will another device mean for us? Will we fall for this new cool thing, hook-line-and-sinker, without reflecting on the pros and the cons, the gains and losses?
Our consumer culture leads us to desire and buy whatever we want. It does not encourage us to ask deep questions like: Do I need this? Do I really want this? What will the effect be? On balance is it good for my health? Is it good for my connections with other living beings? Is it good for the planet?
What are our priorities? What might we be giving up by enlisting Chatbot to do the “heavy lifting” for us, as Constant Contact says. Health professionals always advocate keeping our minds active as we age. That implies that some “heavy lifting” is likely a good thing to do!
Let’s not fall for this without asking the questions and without meaningful regulations.
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