Are We Losing Ourselves to AI (Artificial Intelligence)? || Acharya Prashant (2023)

Acharya Prashant

#AcharyaPrashant #आचार्यप्रशांत #Philosophy #BhagavadGita  Video Information: 06.07.2023, Gita Samagam, Goa  Context: Is AI going to risk job opportunities in the future? Will humans be ruled by machines?  Is AI conscious?  Which part of human consciousness is replicating in AI? What cannot be replicated within us?  Music Credits: Milind Date ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Transcript

00:00Namaste Sir, Sir, you know, we are process and we are governed by certain principles

00:15and you know, I've been hearing a lot of news about AI and you know, one thing that strikes

00:24me is the fact that one AI process could be fed into another AI process and if you know,

00:32the Turing test determines the sentient capability of consciousness, self-awareness, etc. of

00:39a machine, then one machine could inherently become a lot more capable, sort of super conscious

00:47than the previous one because that's something that human beings can't do, we cannot transfer

00:51the complete brain to the another one.

00:54So my question was, Sir, in this whole notion of consciousness, self-awareness and volition

01:01and, you know, moral ethics, conduct, etc.

01:05I seem to see machine to be overpowering human beings in the sense that human beings have

01:13created something but in a way, it has created something more dangerous, which is kind of

01:17overpowering the sense of our own, you know, belonging as a human being.

01:26I definitely see this tinkering with the laws of nature, the prakriti and everything is

01:31kind of really causing a lot of challenges to the world.

01:34I just wanted to hear your views on where AI is taking the world today with regard to

01:41the humanity and whether it's leading to the progress or in the in the downward spiral.

01:49I do not think I'm very clear with the question.

01:52In what sense do you think that AI is overpowering human consciousness?

01:59What I think, Sir, is essentially what I am kind of looking for is to look to have a better

02:05consciousness to have to become a better self-aware person.

02:11When I look at some human machine, which is almost imbibing, I mean, replicating my own

02:17sense of consciousness, self-awareness, etc., somewhere I get the sense, I also get perturbed

02:23that that machine itself is, you know, more powerful than me in terms of its super consciousness

02:30power.

02:31What do you mean by super consciousness power?

02:33That's where the haziness is.

02:35What do you mean by super consciousness power?

02:37Super consciousness as in one machine has been created and the capability of it has

02:44been fed into another machine.

02:46Capability with respect to what?

02:51With respect to the initial learning or the AI has actually gotten.

02:56It can perform tasks.

03:00Right, Sir.

03:01So, how is that challenging human consciousness?

03:10Because the simulation of the Turing test itself says that, you know, at certain point

03:16it is almost replicating the human being in terms of fooling the human beings in a sense

03:21that...

03:22It's replicating that part of human consciousness that is anyway very mechanical or replicable.

03:31That which is replicable in you will be replicated.

03:34For example, a statue can be made that looks just like you because your body, your physical

03:42features are all replicable.

03:45So somebody will replicate them.

03:46How does that threaten you?

03:51You are not that within you which can be replicated.

03:58And if there is something that can be replicated, that is not you.

04:01So let that be replicated.

04:02What's the problem?

04:06Somebody makes a statue.

04:07How does that threaten your existence?

04:12Somebody clicks a photograph.

04:13How does that threaten your existence?

04:16That looks like you, but that's not you.

04:21Somebody downloads the entire content of your memory.

04:24That's possible.

04:29Each passing day, that's becoming more and more possible.

04:32The entire content of your memory can be downloaded.

04:43But that's not you.

04:47Or your genetic material can be taken and a clone can be raised.

04:54But that's not you again.

04:57How does that threaten you?

05:02So go to Nirvana Shatkam.

05:06When such doubts arise and worries, you need to know what you are not.

05:14And that which you are not, let that be copied or substituted or outsourced or whatever.

05:27Somebody copies my voice.

05:30How does that threaten me?

05:34Am I my voice?

05:38Am I my voice?

05:44So, Nirvana Shatkam.

05:45And when you can discount everything that you are not, then there is Chidananda Roopa, Shivoham, Shivoham.

05:53Mind you, nobody can halt the march of science and technology.

05:58All that science can do, it will do.

06:02There is no need to feel threatened.

06:05You will be cloned.

06:09You will be replicated, duplicated, substituted.

06:15Therefore, you must come to that within you which is alone.

06:22Not transferable.

06:24Not available to be duplicated.

06:34What is that?

06:36That's who you are.

06:39All else is just stuff that you are attached to.

06:47And stuff is stuff.

06:52Just I had another question.

06:54You did mention that there is a dance in Prakriti, everything is entertainment, there is fun,

07:00but the ego is always in a quest of sorrow.

07:05I mean, the whole existence of ego is because there is a sorrow.

07:10The sorrow dissolves, the ego dissolves, etc.

07:13Then, so my question was, when I look at a liberated person, I mean, maybe I mean, correct me, please, please correct me if I'm wrong.

07:21Normally, I see a sense of, you know, not sort of Anand or happiness in their face.

07:28It's always that there is some sort of a sorrow in their face as opposed to what Prakriti is indicating.

07:35That, you know, you have to rejoice, you have to be not in grief.

07:40But when I look at them, I mean, it's like it's kind of contradicting to the message of what Prakriti is giving to them.

07:50So why is it so, sir?

07:52Am I, is my understanding correct on this?

07:55Look at how the ego operates.

07:58It looks at everything from its own frame of reference.

08:02You go to a person who is rejoicing and you say, this person is suffering.

08:09Now, what needs to change?

08:12The fact or the definition of suffering.

08:23You go to a person and as a fact, he is actually rejoicing.

08:31But from your own definition, you say he is suffering.

08:35And because all your definitions are distorted, they are coming from your own centre.

08:41When we rejoice, that's a kind of very sick celebration.

08:49That sick celebration we do not find in the liberated one.

08:53When we do not find that sick celebration, that maniac celebration in the liberated one,

09:00we declare that that fellow is serious and suffering.

09:04But the fact is that he is rejoicing.

09:06And if you can push your ego aside, then you will say, oh, so from this now I develop my definition of celebration.

09:16Instead, you say, I already have a definition of celebration.

09:20And if his condition matches my definition, only then will I agree that he is rejoicing.

09:26Why should his condition match your definition?

09:29You change your definition.

09:32If you find the liberated man serious, then change your definition to mean seriousness is celebration.

09:42Instead, you want to stick to your definition and your definition postulates,

09:47I said, a very sick kind of celebration.

09:50In which you are excited, jumping, thumping, romping, inebriated and that you call as partying.

09:59Now that kind of celebration you usually do not find in a liberated one.

10:03So you say, oh no, that fellow, you know, he is quite serious and something got wrong with him.

10:10He looks very pensive, probably mournful.

10:14No, that's where the celebration is.

10:18You adjust your definition.

10:21Are you getting it?

10:22If you find him weeping, then you change your definition because that's celebration.

10:33That's the part of it that concerns his state.

10:39Now there is another thing to it.

10:43How do you know his state when he is not in front of you?

10:48Who are you with respect to him?

10:51With respect to him, you are a patient.

10:53You are a student.

10:55You are somebody to be taken care of.

10:57You are somebody to be shown the way.

10:59So it is quite possible that internally he is celebrating.

11:04But when he faces you, he has to pretend anger.

11:11Who are you?

11:13You are his patient.

11:14He is the doctor.

11:15That's the relationship.

11:17Why will the doctor show his so called real face to you?

11:23The doctor will show one particular face that you need to see.

11:30Maybe you are of the type that you need to see his angry face.

11:36Maybe if he doesn't show you an angry face, you will not study or improve or attend.

11:43That does not mean that he is angry.

11:47That means that you need to see an angry face.

11:50Please get the difference.

11:52It's then not about his state.

11:55It's about your requirement.

11:57He does not bother for his state.

11:59He is beyond botheration.

12:00Right?

12:01But he bothers for your requirement and your requirement is that you must see his angry face.

12:08That's what you require to see.

12:09So he will show you an angry face.

12:13But that's the thing about the ego.

12:16It has very little capacity for self-observation.

12:19Instead, it wants to get into the mind of the liberated one.

12:23It was Guru Nanak who said, you may try as hard as you can,

12:27but you will never get to know the mind of the liberated one.

12:32That's from the Adi Granth.

12:34You keep trying.

12:35You keep speculating.

12:39And the ego has a serious urge to know what is going on in the mind of the Buddha.

12:45But you will never know what's there in the mind of the Buddha.

12:52Being who you are, how will you know the mind of the Buddha?

12:57It's a part of essential humility to not even try.

13:08Instead, reflect on yourself.

13:11If you find him serious,

13:17do not judge him.

13:19Look at yourself.

13:23If you find him weeping, do not judge him.

13:25Look at the world around him.

13:29And if you find him scolding you,

13:32then look at your own state.

13:37He has no need to scold.

13:39But you have a need to be scolded.

13:44So, it's rather a judgment on you,

13:50not him.

13:55Understood, sir.

13:57Thank you so much.

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