to do
- Narrow scope: I think I’m trying to hit too many topics at once
- Flesh out ideas
- Prune and edit
- Change in perspective after starting work: scope of AI’s usefulness before it turns into slop
- TLDR; I think AI is a “neutral” tool (notes on bias later) but what matters most are systems and governance
working draft
Arcane Season 2 spoilers ahead!
I hated ChatGPT when I was in college.
When I was in college, so many of my classmates pull up ChatGPT casually in the middle of class. I won’t say that I haven’t used it. Don’t get me wrong, I think the technology has its merits. What I’m critiquing isn’t the development of the technology itself, but rather the social attitudes toward it and the systems of power that create and support it.
Viktor’s character arc from Arcane serves as a wonderful allegory for this phenomenon. Born with a disability and chronic illness, he fights to determine his own fate.
By the end of the series, he merges with the Hexcore, becomes an astral being, and attempts to eliminate all of humanity’s imperfections through the “Glorious Evolution”. His future self travels back in time and beseeches Jayce to stop him, for “There is no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit.”
After achieving the perfection he so desperately desired, he is faced with emptiness and a lack of purpose. His refusal to accept his own, and humanity’s, imperfections ultimately leads to regret, anguish, and mass destruction.
Much like Viktor’s initial idea of perfection, AI hype seeks to eliminate all human inefficiencies. It is in direct opposition to the very ethos of humanity. It strives for perfection, automation, convenience, when life is messy, tedious, and unpredictable — and that is precisely what makes it worth living.
in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good
In the last episode of Arcane Season 1, Viktor tells Jayce, “In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.” They had been developing the revolutionary technology, Hextech, but its creation got caught up in a web of politics and violence, causing them to deviate from their original values and mission.
The technological advancements we see these days is great. But how can we do good within our rigid systems that encourage profit over all else, that value production over being?
In chasing perfection, we create tools that strip us collectively of our humanity. Take, for example, the phenomenon of cognitive offloading — many now habitually seek ChatGPT as if it were a prophet, not a tool, offloading their thinking onto a choice averaging machine. The results? Dullness and an inferno of the same, where we become automatons avoiding the hard, but necessary, task of critical analysis, instead choosing the easy route that leads to intellectual atrophy.
“It is the imperfections of life that are lovable,” says Joseph Campbell in The Power of Myth. A life of perfection is a life of no love, a life lacking in Divine Eros: a feeling of interconnectedness with the world.
As Viktor regains his senses, he reflects on the unshakeable duality of humanity:
Humanity, our very essence, is inescapable. Our emotions, rage, compassion, hate. Two sides of the same coin, intractably bound. That which inspires us to our greatest good is also the cause of our greatest evil.
who benefits from our stupor?
Risks: bias, echo chambers, easy targets for propaganda and manipulation. AI encourages a lack of curiosity and a drive to explore the unknown.
With AI algorithms, everything is sourced from a data source dictated by those in power. Over-reliance creates a constrained perspective on the world, collectively. The more widespread usage is, the bigger this issue becomes.
Ultimately the introduction of the Other is what changes Viktor’s worldview. Irony: hivemind, collectivism is not what creates unity. Rather, it is our differences that make us whole. It is difference that produces meaning, that enables synergy and harmony. Self-centeredness must be broken by relinquishing the ego.
Stories, imperfection. Rapture, existence rather than production. Connection over isolation. Truly understanding another. Cannot do so without critical thinking, empathy — this is degenerating in society because of cognitive offloading and information overload. Echo chambers, algorithms, only hearing what you want to hear. Aesthetics of the right — anti-intellectualism. A society with no critical thinking is a society that is easier to control.
Desire for control and answers: it’s okay to not know. Letters to a Young Poet
Barreling toward a future of monotony, dullness, and restless discontent. Surreal, hard to pin down, user experiences bring no joy anymore, switching between apps without really caring what’s on them.
how does the machine benefit us?
While I was working at UW Information Technology, I had the opportunity to sit in on an interview with Professor Ian Schnee on his innovative use of an AI tutor bot in the classroom.
Advanced search and retrieval capabilities.
Automation, freeing up time to live life, freedom to think more beyond repetitive work. Checking our work against rubrics to ensure quality.
Healthcare, early diagnosis.
AI should spotlight humanity, not replace it.
is there a right answer?
I hope to see a future with stricter AI policies that keep the good of humanity at the center of consideration, not profit for corporations, nor power in war.
Spent a long time trying to develop my viewpoint. On one hand, I hated seeing AI in academic settings. On the other, it’s become an invaluable tool and subject of experimentation for me at work.
Therefore, it’s benefits are situational, and it’s up to us to create a sense of morals surrounding the tool’s use. We can’t dictate how people use it; it must be a cultural shift. And that starts with centering us, not the machines.