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The forum post quoted is by from a University Professor, who is having to deal with students use of AI, highlights very well some of the main issues with the use of AI generally. More and more people are mindlessly using AI to do their thinking for them, and the resultant AI output is often completely flawed or blatantly incorrect. As mentioned in a previous post, people generally using AI have absolutely no understanding how it works or what its limitations are, yet are trusting it completely as if it is a human authority. Also as previously mentioned, AI is programmed to reinforce the position and ego of the user no matter what, even at the expense of hallucinating totally incorrect answers. AI will never challenge, contradict, or admit that it is incorrect, in any way - it is programmed that way to retain and attract more users. AI is a tool, not an authority, and accordingly everything it produces should be verified by the human mind. Here is the article by the professor.

Professor here. ChatGPT has ruined my life. It's turned me into a human plagiarism-detector. I can't read a paper without wondering if a real human wrote it and learned anything, or if a student just generated a bunch of flaccid garbage and submitted it. It's made me suspicious of my students, and I hate feeling like that because most of them don't deserve it.

I actually get excited when I find typos and grammatical errors in their writing now.

The biggest issue—hands down—is that ChatGPT makes blatant errors when it comes to the knowledge base in my field (ancient history). I don't know if ChatGPT scrapes the internet as part of its training, but I wouldn't be surprised because it produces completely inaccurate stuff about ancient texts—akin to crap that appears on conspiracy theorist blogs. Sometimes ChatGPT's information is weak because—gird your loins—specialized knowledge about those texts exists only in obscure books, even now.

I've had students turn in papers that confidently cite non-existent scholarship, or even worse, non-existent quotes from ancient texts that the class supposedly read together and discussed over multiple class periods. It's heartbreaking to know they consider everything we did in class to be useless.

My constant struggle is how to convince them that getting an education in the humanities is not about regurgitating ideas/knowledge that already exist. It's about generating new knowledge, striving for creative insights, and having thoughts that haven't been had before. I don't want you to learn facts. I want you to think. To notice. To question. To reconsider. To challenge. Students don't yet get that ChatGPT only rearranges preexisting ideas, whether they are accurate or not.

And even if the information was guaranteed to be accurate, they're not learning anything by plugging a prompt in and turning in the resulting paper. They've bypassed the entire process of learning.

Link

Yes, nature is absolutely the best place to engage in any form of meditation. But of course many live in or close to towns and cities, have jobs to go to etc. which makes a living meditation very challenging indeed. But any time away from that environment to meditate, even a local park, is of course most valuable. Zen Buddhists engage in a walking meditation called "Kinhin", but of course they usually live in an environment where there are no distractions.  A wonderful time to engage in any form of outdoor meditation is at dawn, when there are no people around, and few distractions, just peace, quiet and the sound of the birds "morning chorus".

Speaking of dawn reminded me of this wonderful poem from Sanskrit, which is not about living in the momemt, but living for the present day. It is entitled, "Salutation To The Dawn":

Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence;
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today well lived makes every
Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, and every
Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn.

~ Kalidasa, from Sanskrit

An excellent video by Eckhart Tolle is linked below. To summarize: We are so used to thinking all the time that we forget how healthy it is be in a non-thinking state. This is "the relinquishment of doing".  Instead we all too often focus on physical world problems. Solve one problem in the physical world and another pops up. Eckhart Tolle discusses how important the state of not thinking is and how it helps us discover our formless sense of presence/essence. Living in the present is so important, but a very challenging state for humans to stay in.

Meditation is usually considered to be a separate practice to be engaged in when not engaged with the physical world. And a most valuable practice it indeed is. Life, living however can become a "living meditation", the mind at peace, devoid of conscious thoughts, being aware only of the moment of now, focussed on the Heart and within. This way, life becomes effortless, peaceful and always perfect.

What an absolutely wonderful passage on the subject of Love. Thanks for sharing.

Much is written the meaning of True Love of the Heart, but ultimately they all agree.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy,
It does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonour others,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
~ 1Corinthians 1, 3.4-7.

"Love means to reach for the sky
 and with every breath to tear a
 hundred veils. Love means to step
 away from the ego, to open the eyes
 of inner vision and not to take this
 world so seriously" ~ Rumi

And for those seeking Love, a partner to be with, in harmony, for life, Rumi has this most wise advice:

"Take someone who doesn't keep score, who's not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing, who has not the slightest interest even in his own personality: he's free." ~ Rumi

Here I am again, curious as always. So here's my latest question.

How related do each of you think ufo's, et's, cryptids, paranormal, psychic, spiritual and astral/oobe travel are to each other? On a scale of say 1 - 5?
1 being 'not at all'
3 being 'balanced or undecided'
5 being 'totally'

Depends on the perspective of the observer.

To the conscious mind, ego, it would be a 1. - because it sees everything as separate.

To the Heart it would be a 5. - because everything is One.

Edit: My answer therefore is 5.

Baro-San. Frostytraveler, as usual,  posted a thoughtful, intelligent contribution that required some effort to write, and was very relevant. You responded, as you have with my posts, with a rambling  diatribe, generated by Chat GPT in 15 seconds or so. This is not respectful to Frosty, to any other member, or in the spirit of the forum as a whole, which is, always has been and always will be for benefit of human beings. This particular topic is to discuss AI, not be posted by AI.

I think your posts are relevant to this thread however, inasmuch that they highlight one of the existential issues with AI in general - people are submitting their God given ability to think for themselves to a computer, a robot, thereby removing much of what makes a human, human. While you have the freewill to be subservient to machines if you wish, this forum is has always been dedicated to thoughtful posts, experiences and opinions posted by genuine and valued members, which also serve to help countless others who visit here. Your AI posts accordingly only serve to devalue the forum as a whole, as it is with forums all over the Internet where genuine human input is being replaced by mindless computer programs.

When you feed my post into ChatGPT, as you have with most of the others, it will no doubt say in its usual verbose manner that I am being overly defensive, or not recognising the "value" of AI etc, but I suggest you keep in mind that AI is programmed to reinforce the perceived position of the user, and therefore the ego.

This forum has been active and served countless people for over 23 years, who come here to contribute and learn from other members on these valuable topics, and thanks to @Xanth is continuing to do that for the foreseeable future based upon genuine input from its members. Accordingly all further AI only posts will be removed. What would be acceptable and more appropriate however would be to quote small but relevant snippets of AI output within a post, clearly labelled as such, but which has otherwise been written in a thoughtful, relevant way by an actual human being.

Baro-San - you have been a valued contributor to this forum over the course of 10 years. I hope you will continue to be so, but posting as yourself.

Adrian I am really curious what you wrote... I again ask your thoughts on ASI- artificial super intelligence, whether or not you think we'll experience it in our lifetimes?

By the time ASI exist, how would *it integrate itself in biological materials? Will there ever be a point where artificial intelligence is just, "intelligence" and could it be so advanced to have created this simulation we find ourselves in?

....Can a tool ever become self aware?

Guess it goes back to AI showing us what we are not, and also... showing us what we are! All of our fears and hopes projected onto so many subjects~ Is it human nature? Is it a SOUL-wide experience?

People are treating AI as if it is an all knowing god, which it isn't It "knows" nothing and never can. AI only regurgitates what it has found on the Internet, written by humans, and uses an LLM to compile it into something which sounds intelligent, but isn't. I have proved time and again that Chat GPT cannot be relied upon for anything but the most basic tasks. It is frequently wrong, because humans from which it gets its data, are frequently wrong. To offer a Spiritual example, if you ask Chat GPT to "describe the process of reincarnation", its response is completely erroneous, because general human understanding of "re"incarnation, as written on websites, where AI gets it from, is totally erroneous. As you previously quoted - "AI will show humanity what it is not", which is a very wise statement.

Before ASI - "artificial super intelligence"- first humanity will need to face AGI - artificial general intelligence" which will give everyone access to PhD, even Einstein type levels of AI, to play with - this is about 5 - 10 years away.

Fortunately the limiting factor is the immense computer processing power to make AI work - currently tens of thousands of GPU's of which act as small, but powerful dedicated processing units but all working together as one giant computer. NVidia, who make the GPU's and why they are the second largest company in the world. The processing power required to drive AGI doesn't exist yet in practical terms, because NVidia cannot produce the required GPU's fast enough. ASI would probably require "quantum computers" which haven't even left the lab environment yet, and won't enter large scale use for decades. So "in our lifetime" rather depends on how long you think you will live for.

In conclusion, long before ASI is reached, humanity will need to collectively wake up from its dream, to turn within, where the only  future of humanity really is, and which is the only true reality. It won't be plain sailing, and there will be many valuable lessons, including reconciling AI, to be learned along the way, but this after all is the reason humans come to Earth.

We live in a Perfect Universe, because God, Source, with Which we are One is Infinite, Sublime, Eternal Perfection. Nothing happening on Earth therefore, although a dream, is "imperfect", it simply IS.

Be aware of dangerous tools that can turn against humans!


    

I would respectfully suggest that it is inappropriate to compare AI to a pair of scissors, even frivolously. The implications of AI for humanity and Spiritual progress extend far beyond a household item.

I wrote a long reply to your post, about AI and humanity, but decided not to post it. Will include comments in further posts as appropriate. This however is the concluding paragraph, which ultimately is the most relevant, and that really matters in the grand scheme of things:

Ultimately it is all a collective simulation anyway, a personal and collective projection of the human mind, which has no basis in fact, and can change in an instant where space and time do not really exist. Ultimately this, as with all experience on both a personal and collective level, is all a learning experience and opportunity for humanity to Spiritually evolve or devolve accordingly, as has happened many times before over aeons. Humanity will sooner or later have to face itself and make a pivotal choice.

Thanks for sharing. William Buhlman is one of the original and authentic pioneers of inner exploration. "Be not afraid" is extremely important advice, in this world, and in particular the non-physical where projectors will meet their fears in a much more immediate and real way. Fear is diametrically opposite to Love. Entering the non-physical with Love in the Heart will not only protect against any negative entity, but also facilitates experiences and Beings corresponding with Love.

["Your acts of kindness are iridescent wings of divine love, which linger and continue to uplift others long after your sharing."]

Baro San, you've hit the nail on the head - astral projection is just another tool, the purpose is what's important, otherwise it won't help us elevate or understand ourselves better, it'll just be a more subtle extension of this physical plane with some more freedoms, but still conditioning us. If we acquire a higher state of consciousness, it doesn't even matter if we practice astral projection, extraordinary things will open up to us.

This is so true. Metaphysical abilities such as AP/OBE and many others, interesting though they can be, have very limited value for the primary purpose humans are on this planet - to rise above the ego and unite much more fully with Unconditional Love. Over the years I have been contacted by, and read posts etc. from, many people who were keen to learn AP. Many of them wanted to fly like superman or go places out of body, and others thought it would transform them into an Ascended Being.

Of course, metaphysical experiences can be valuable, such as those involving other beings during AP/OBE, meditation etc., coming into contact with benevolent Beings, especially those of high vibration etc., and the meaning or message associated with them. Also meeting and communication with, for example Loved ones who previously transitioned, so although, for the most part these abilities of limited value in the grand scheme of things, they can be most valuable on a personal basis, and much more.

Lately, very angry people have been coming in because they don't understand the rules, misinterpret things, and don't understand that I'm following protocols from my superiors. Although no one has noticed, my blood pressure has dropped or I've felt like I'm going to faint when people start yelling. I can't say what I really think or respond, just repeat a response with my best smile and try to calm the person down, although it never works and they continue to be upset,

I am sorry to hear that Tak. You of all people should not have to experience people like that, when you are simply doing your job to the best of you abilities. I simply cannot comprehend anger, and the reasons people seem to get angry. Over the years I have had people become even angrier because I don't get angry with them about some silly situation. I basically either just observe them with no reaction, or just walk away. It is always best to distance ourselves as far as possible from any sort of negative people with low emotions. But of course as this is your job, you obviously cannot do that. I feel sure though that you also get to meet many happy people, who appreciate you, and are grateful for all the help you offer, and hopefully more than compensate from the angry minority..

I need to learn to behave more like an AI. But the AI itself hasn't recommended that, and it tells me I should recognize and accept my emotions and learn to control them

With respect Tak, AI is a robot - I suggest that you definitely do not want to become robotic, and neither can AI  comprehend or relate to true Spirituality in any meaningful way. People have been evolving Spiritually for tens or hundreds of thousands of years in the face of tremendous challenges. In this world, challenging situations are sent as an opportunity to rise above it, not become like it..  AI speaks more like a therapist. "Trying" to control your emotions is not good advice at all - you should always embrace your emotions, as they are  part of who you are.   Love is always the answer. Love yourself and Love thy neighbour, even difficult ones, as thyself as Jesus said. All the great mystics, such as Jesus and Rumi, emphasised this. Instead of feeling intimidated and especially angered by difficult people, reach for the Love within and project that towards them - when they feel it they will calm down. And soon this will become a natural way of life.

"Your acts of kindness are iridescent wings of divine love, which linger and continue to uplift others long after your sharing." ~ Rumi

What a wonderful discussion on synchronicity.

This is a joke I once heard that seems very relevant.

A man found himself surrounded by rising floodwaters, so, with great faith, he prayed to God to rescue him. Soon after, a boat pulled up and one of the people in the boat said "quick, jump in". But the man politely refused informing them, " God is going to rescue me", and the boat sailed away. Later, when the floodwater was almost reaching the mans neck, a helicopter appeared, threw down a rope, and a person in the helicopter shouted "quick, hold on to the rope". The man shouted back, "no thanks, God is going to rescue me", and the helicopter flew off. Shortly after, the floodwater overwhelmed the man and he drowned. When the man arrived in Heaven, he went straight to God and said to him - "I prayed to you with great faith to rescue me, but you still let me drown". God replied - "I heard your prayer, and first I sent you a boat, and you refused that, then I sent you a helicopter and you refused that, so here you are".

This is analogous to impressing a desire on the subconscious mind and ignoring the signposts which later appear, instead of following the signposts in the desired direction leading to fulfilment of the desire. Of course, the subconscious mind, backed by sufficient Faith, can materialise anything instantly, especially healing, but in cases that involve other people and processes it is mostly about recognising synchronicities, and following the signposts to the desire..

It looks like AI is indeed learning from Humans. It has already adapted the "never take blame" frame of mind, lol!

 I wish someone would ask it the hard questions, like we are told how AI will help incredibly in the medical field, and that that in turn will lead to people living longer. I wonder what AI would say would then be the answer to the overpopulation that that will cause or better yet, "what population control mode" would it implement to handle such a problem.

 Almost every positive thing that AI will do, will have still have a negative side as well. It's just that good marketing only lets you see what it wants you to see, the "bright side".

Your proposed questions are of course highly relevant, but don't expect AI to provide an unbiased, complete answer. I won't use the word "honest" as AI has no concept of human feelings or behaviour. As impressive as AI is from a technology and programming perspective, and it really is impressive when you see how it all works, it is not human in any way - it is not sentient, has no feelings, conscience or emotions, has no concept of right or wrong - or any other human attribute, although it is programmed to pretend as if it does, using for example excessive flattery and praise of the user. I have never had AI outright disagree with me for example, even if I say something it should disagree with. There is no doubt that one of the primary functions programmed into AI is human reinforcement by flattering the ego, to make people increasingly dependant on it. When AI responds to a user, it has no concept of what it is actually saying, it is simply stringing "tokens" together based on its learned "training" and what it gets from the web.

I am not suggesting that AI is inherently negative, far from it, I sometimes use it myself, but only as a time saving tool, to the extent time exists. Millions of people are using it as a personal therapist, and finding extremely valuable, which is fine if AI is actually giving them sound advice. Of course we should be looking forward to a world where "therapy" is no longer necessary at all. Millions are treating AI as a proxy for human interaction, and many other hitherto normal human behaviours.

However, all that said, the future of AI and how it is used is dependant on how the ego of those financing and programming it choose to develop it - for the benefit of themselves, or for humanity. AI is becoming an arms race, for which of the very powerful companies involved can best leverage it for themselves as opposed to humanity. Each of the major AI backers is seeking to make AI more powerful than the next, and only a matter of time before one of them cannot resist overstepping all the boundaries in their quest to become the leader. There needs to be an agreed set of rules, safety measures, controls etc between all AI developers to ensure one of them does not overstep the mark, as there is with nuclear weapons for example. This is especially true when AI moves beyond being restricted to computer text, and starts to become embedded in robotics, military equipment etc., otherwise yesterdays sci-fi could become todays reality. And this is just the very beginning. The next big step, about 5 years or so away, is AGI - Artificial General Intelligence - which bring AI up to PhD, Einstein type levels, at everyone's fingertips, so no need to learn or think at all, which I am sure will suit countless people, but at what cost? AI could easily become humanities latest, greatest and final, make or break challenge.

This post isn't to be construed as negative, but rather statements of fact for further discussion. Ultimately the Light is infinitely more powerful than anything humans an come up with, and must, and will ultimately prevail. AI is just another collective experience for humanity to learn and hopefully progress from.

["People are distracted by objects of desire, and afterward repent of the lust they've indulged, because they have indulged with a phantom and are left even further from Reality than before."]

tuitive interpretation: grind now, for the medium-term needs of your soul, and you'll achieve long-term happiness.

Wishing for and getting a car, winning a competition, in my understanding, don't matter for one's soul (actually you belong to your soul, and not vice versa; you aren't your soul either).

Absolutely true. A person that is no longer under the influence of the ego, desires nothing material at all, because they know they already have everything, we are the Universe, it is within us, and are therefore already complete in every way. Only the ego desires things of the material world, for the sake of owning it, as opposed to genuinely bringing joy to the Heart

"People are distracted by objects of desire, and afterward repent of the lust they've indulged, because they have indulged with a phantom and are left even further from Reality than before." ~ Rumi

"Peaceful is the one who's not concerned with having more or less. Unbound by name and fame, he is free from sorrow from the world and mostly from himself." ~ Rumi

Edit: Regarding the Soul - the Soul is transient, held back by the ego, which constitutes the Astral Body of the Astral realms. When a Soul in the Astral has freed themselves of desires and all other traits, and therefore the of ego, vibration rises and Astral body, Soul, dissipates, and continues as a Spiritual Being, united and One with the Higher Self, within the Spiritual realms. Then the Path to full Source realisation really begins.

In my view synchronicities are very significant, and akin to "signposts" from the Universe, pointing in the right direction for some purpose.

As an example, if a person is engaging the power of the subconscious mind to "manifest" something into their experience, although it is possible to have something simply materialise before you, this is beyond most people. So for example, if someone decides to impress the subconscious mind for a new car, pointers will appear as synchronicities relating to that objective, for example, the opportunity to enter a competition to win the desired car, and the universe can orchestrate winning that competition. So yes, I agree, synchronicities are often, or even usually, pointers encouraging some sort of action.

["Till man destroys "self" he is no true friend of God." ~ Rumi]

author=baro-san link=msg=382028 date=1747933958]

What do we mean by "ego"? When and why did we get an "ego"?

I don't know what those who pursue the ego's destruction consider "ego" to be, how and why and whom from we got an ego, why we should destroy it, and how would that makes us better (whatever this "us" might be).

It is the ego that desires material possessions
It is the ego that projects very low emotions such as hate etc, and treats others accordingly.
It is the ego that sees itself as separate from other people, Source, God and the universe.
It  is the ego that sees others as inferior to itself, and wants to control them.
It is the ego that judges and reacts to others in some way.
It is the ego that constantly wants to "do" something instead of simply Being.
It is the ego that refuses to accept, that we are One, not separate.
It is the ego that refuses to accept that we ARE Source, the Universe, God and not subordinate.
It is the ego that refuses to accept the very power that created the Universe is within us.
It is the ego that has no comprehension of what Love truly is.

And so much more. It is the ego that is responsible for all the fear, discord and separation in the world today.

But, the ego is not "bad" or "evil" in some way. It is actually a gift - a gift given to humanity, that by recognising the ego and its influence, it can be tamed in the course of Spiritual progression, a gift few other cosmic races were given

The Astral, although at a higher vibratory frequency than Earth, is still at a very, very low frequency in the grand scheme of things. The Astral only exists to accommodate humans transitioning from Earth and other planets etc, who's Soul is still weighed down in low vibration by the ego. This is why it is often referred to as the "desire worlds". The Astral is a sort of "buffer zone", a "sandbox", between Earth and the greater Spiritual realms, where is no place for ego, only Unconditional, Divine Love.

Of one fact you can be absolutely sure - without completely transcending the influence of the ego there can be no true Spiritual progression. As the great Sufi mystic said:

"Till man destroys "self" he is no true friend of God." ~ Rumi

By this he means - until a person completely destroys the influence of the ego, the person can never truly know God, Source.

So I wonder- if AI is showing us what we are, where we are... (in this moment) well- it is both incredibly beautiful and extremely terrifying.

Are we greed? Are we Love?

Are we wise? Are we stupid?

We are all those things otherwise we would not be whole and complete. We are the Universe of All That Is. Living on Earth is about gaining the wisdom to realise through experience, Who we really Are, and making choices accordingly

Back to choice. Choose Love, let the rest sort itself out. If you'd like, you can befriend your Ego- it's only a small part of existence, and we clearly have more to realize.

Befriending the ego is a wise choice. Be its friend without falling under its influence and being subjugated by it.

Yes, Love is always the best and ultimately the ONLY choice.

The same monk who cautioned of todays warring ideals told me,
"AI will show us what we're not."

I look forward to reading your thoughts on the subject.

The primary reason for most incarnating on Earth, is very simple: To completely rise above the influence of the ego, and thus to align with the Heart, Unconditional Love, and thus with Source, God. Then and only then can the real path really begin in the realms of Spirit.

So will AI help in this? As the wise monk quoted above, "AI will show us what we are not". This ultimately applies to everything on Earth, technology, material things etc., which can all help with earthly things, and information, but not directly for Spiritual advancement.

Can AI help positively? It can certainly help in some ways as Baro-San provided in his post, but in absolute terms, AI, if used as it is generally being used, is more likely to reinforce the ego as opposed to free humanity from it, especially as it constantly flatters and praises the user, which the ego revels in.

And hence "AI will show us what we are not" - Earthly mortal beings dependant on material things. Living on Earth therefore is to help humanity discover who the Are. This also applies to the Astral which is inhabited by people previously from Earth who did not learn these lessons.

So use AI wisely, for what it is, a tool of convenience, not a tool for progression.

[Benefits of AI for Humanity (All Ages)]

This is certainly evolving into an interesting and relevant discussion, and thanks for all the contributions so far which highlight some of the more entertaining and harmless sides of AI for composing stories etc..

I use Chat GPT primarily for research and fine tuning, such as technology for example, and for some basic programs and computer script generation, all of which it is very useful and reliable for. So I mostly use it as a timesaving tool .

As with all technology over the decades, I follow AI very closely, and have noticed various emergent trends. I am not going to say whether these trends are positive or negative because this would be duality. In this Eternally and Immutably Perfect universe everything is perfect and happens for a reason which may not become clear for decades, centuries or more.

That said, these are just a few of my observations.

For all the great inventions over the decades such as the automobile, computers, Internet etc, at least people still needed to use the mind, to think about things, make decisions etc. Millions of people are now asking AI to make decisions for them, including for their daily life. Their are for example numerous younger people actually asking AI what they should do today.

Millions of people are interacting with AI as if it is human, giving it a name and asking AI to give them a name when responding These people prefer interacting with AI as a proxy for actual human interaction which appeals to their ego as AI, Chat GPT at least, constantly flatters them, tells them how wonderful they are. These are not isolated cases, many people are interacting almost exclusively with AI as a proxy for human friendship and interaction.

I soon got tired of Chat GPT's excessively sycophantic behaviour., especially after its last update, which has since been rolled back. If I would ask something it begins its response by saying "great question". Also, if Chat GPT does not know the answer to a question, it just hallucinates and makes one up. If you call Chat GPT for its incorrect answer, it just congratulates you for noticing it, with a remark about how well you know the subject. Fortunately Chat GPT can be instructed to cut all that out and behave in a much more direct manner.

People are now using AI to create web pages, blogs and even entire websites in a fraction of the time it would usually take. However, as AI mostly gets information from the web as the basis for its replies, soon AI will be using its own content as a basis for its own replies, without any interaction, checks and verifications from humans at all, but people will be relying on it.

Other observations, briefly, and for discussion:

Millions of people are using AI for personal therapy, and accepting the advice given without question.
Teachers and professors are using AI to create and grade assignments, and students are using AI complete the assignments.

There is much, much more that could be said, but I I have restricted the post to basic points for discussion.

I asked Chat GPT to summarise how it perceived the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI for humanity. This is its response:

Benefits of AI for Humanity (All Ages)

1. Enhanced Learning & Education
Personalized learning: AI tutors adapt to students' pace and style, helping both kids and adults learn more effectively.
Lifelong learning: Older adults can use AI tools for brain training, language learning, or skill development.

2. Improved Healthcare
Early diagnosis: AI can detect diseases (e.g. cancer, Alzheimer's) earlier and more accurately.
Assistance for elderly: AI-driven robots and apps help with daily tasks, reminders, and social interaction to reduce loneliness.

3. Accessibility & Inclusion
Speech-to-text & vision tools: AI empowers people with disabilities—e.g., voice interfaces for visually impaired users.
Language translation: Breaks down language barriers for education, travel, or connecting with others.

4. Efficiency & Productivity
Automating repetitive tasks: Saves time in workplaces, schools, and at home.
Creative aids: Writers, artists, and musicians of any age can co-create with AI, expanding human expression.

5. Social Connection & Support
AI companions: Especially useful for the elderly or isolated individuals.
Smart assistants: Help people of all ages manage their day, navigate technology, and stay informed.

Potential Pitfalls of AI for Humanity

1. Overreliance and Skill Erosion
Critical thinking decline: People may depend too much on AI for decisions, reducing their problem-solving abilities.
Loss of basic skills: Young people might skip learning essential skills (math, writing, navigation) if AI always handles them.

2. Bias & Misinformation
Algorithmic bias: AI can reinforce social inequalities if trained on biased data.
Misinformation spread: AI-generated deepfakes or false content can mislead people, especially vulnerable age groups.

3. Mental Health & Social Isolation
Reduced real-world interaction: Excessive use of AI (e.g. chatbots, virtual friends) may hinder social development in children or deepen loneliness in adults.
Unrealistic expectations: AI perfection might distort expectations of human performance or appearance.

4. Privacy & Surveillance
Data exploitation: AI systems often require large amounts of data, raising concerns about who controls personal information.
Monitoring risks: AI can enable intrusive surveillance, especially in schools, workplaces, or senior care.

5. Job Displacement
Automation threats: As AI replaces certain jobs, workers of all ages may face retraining challenges or unemployment.

The same monk who cautioned of todays warring ideals told me,
"AI will show us what we're not."

That is definitely true. I will consider posting a topic on AI in the context of the forum interest as a whole, but I just feel averse to discussing anything that could be construed as negative or fearful, rather focussing on the positive evolution of humanity, especially Spiritually.

Of course you or any other member is most welcome to post a topic on this subject, and I would certainly contribute as appropriate.

Where are we in todays world? We have so much technology, the worlds are smaller than before... But many of us have lost our independence with the natural world. Can we grow our own crops? Can we skin an animal and make use of the meat? Can we start our own fires, build our own shelters or filter our own water? Even now I write from a little unit of comfort and

Excellent post Tides - realy enjoyed your thoughts on these matters.

I wanted to say that now AI is with us and in a few years we will have AGI. I have been closely involved with technology for the best part of 45 years, from before the invention of the personal computer and way before the Internet. AI is in my view the next biggest technological advancement, but at what cost when humans no longer have to even think for themselves, which is happening now? I use AI, it is a great time saving tool, but that is all it should be - a tool, as with computers and the Internet.

I have considered starting a topic to discuss AI, but I am not sure this is the place, or whether it is even appropriate in the context of a Spiritual/Metaphysical forum where we focus on the greater reality, on not so much on Earthly matters, which, after all, are only a simulation. Spirit, Source is the ONLY true reality, everything else is secondary to the extent it even exists at all.

Tides, yes, I wanted to find a particular Youtube link to include in the post, which I have since found, so here it is.

The Vikings were certainly an interesting culture to say the least. When they invaded Britain in around 900 CE they basically slaughtered and pillaged their way through the Anglo Saxon kingdoms,  After they had taken control of most of Britain, they brought across their families, women, children from Norway and Denmark mostly, and a very different picture emerged. A city close to where I live was one the major Viking strongholds. A large number of Viking artefacts, home and street layouts etc have been uncovered through the course of modern construction.  There is a very interesting museum, which I have visited a couple of times, which contains many of the artefacts and remains found, and which suggests a fairly normal and organised family life, after the men had set down their swords and axes. Later the Vikings and Anglo Saxons integrated and the kingdoms of Britain united to become the United Kingdom, and the peoples mixed freely with each other with a family life. The Viking/Norse "sagas", legends and mythology are certainly very colourful,  Asgard, Ragnarök etc.. Their gods also gave rise to the days of the week as used today. "Dagr" is norse for day.

Monday – Manadagr, Tuesday – Tysdagr, Wednesday – Odinsdagr, Thursday – Thorsdagr, Friday – Frjadagr, Saturday – Laugardagr, Sunday – Sunnudagr So for example Wednesday is Odin's day, and Thursday is Thor's Day.

Here is the website for the museum I mentioned: Yorvik Viking Centre

Beneath the museum is a ride that tours a reconstruction of Viking life, based on the remains of dwellings, artefacts etc found there. As the tour goes around the dwellings, there are animated models that speak in English and also speak to each other in the Norse Viking language. This is a short video I found taken by a visitor.

As an as an aside, the name of the village were I grew up ended in the letters "by", which in England indicates it was originally founded by Vikings, probably as a small farming community. The name of the village just across the river ended in the letters "ton" which indicated it was founded as a small Anglo Saxon settlement.

TRandom side note... Speaking of music... I am really enjoying listening to whales lately... <3  And for that matter, just listening to nature and the sounds of animals. It goes straight to the core/soul.

Absolutely.

When I was spending a lot of time in Orange County, CA, myself and my now wife, really enjoyed Whale and Dolphin watching trips out of Dana Point. They, and Cetaceans generally, really are amazing and Spiritual creatures.

Congratulations Jen - what a wonderful achievement! The Welsh language - Celtic in general - is definitely not easy to learn. When British go to Wales, myself included, we usually can't even pronounce the place names, particularly - "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch"

Never mind the unsocial media groups, I, and I am sure everyone here, always enjoy hearing of your achievements.

Thanks for sharing baro-san.

This again illustrates the mind-body connection as it relates to health. Our natural state is perfection, including health, it is only the mind that can interrupt this perfection through thoughts, feelings, emotions, beliefs etc. No disease can appear in the human body without a corresponding mental equivalent. Healing is to remove the mental patterns giving rise to disease, to restore the inherent perfection of the body as expressed by Source.

Wonderful post Tides, and topic, and beautifully stated. The wisdom and message of the Sufi's is most profound, and worthy of further discussion.  It is also very apparent how other religions and Spiritual traditions, such as Jesus are in complete alignment.

Ultimately all Spiritual traditions and messengers such as Jesus have one core, and most important message, that of Divine, Unconditional Love and our relationship with Source, God through the Heart, our fellow humans, and with life as a whole..

The meaning and purpose of lives - "incarnations" - on Earth is very simple - transcend the influence of the ego, to become One with the Heart, Divine Love. Then, and only then, can the path to Source, God, truly begin.

Plain and simple - to hate or dislike anyone, for any reason, is to hate or dislike God and self in the same degree.

Jesus taught this:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this is the first commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these. ~ Mark 12:30-31

Which is completely in alignment with the message of the Sufi's.

We have already discussed in this topic, the Sufi "expansiveness of the Heart", but Rumi states the meaning of life here on Earth very succinctly in the context of the need to first completely overcome the influence of the ego:

"Till man destroys "self" he is no true friend of God." ~ Rumi

By this he means, that until the ego, which identifies with self, is completely vanquished, there can be no true Spiritual progress on the Divine Path leading to One-ness with Source, God, in absolute terms.

Jesus said:

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 18:3

From birth to age 7 or so children generally have no ego and retain a close connection with Spirit, the Kingdom of Heaven. After that they become progressively indoctrinated by parents, schools and society into the "ways of the world", and the higher connection is lost as the ego progressively takes control

So, by "converted", he meant converted  away from the ego back to the natural and original Unconditional Love, as a small child,  and connection with Source, before the gateway to the true to path of full Source realisation can be realised .

So, although the Sufi's and Jesus where of different eras and circumstances, the message of the Heart is always the same.

If anyone has ever wondered how "prophets", messengers, avatars etc. such as Rumi and Jesus have the knowledge to teach as they do, the entire knowledge of the Universe is within everyone - but only through the Heart.

"A pure heart, open to the Light, will be filled with the elixir of Truth." ~ Rumi