Our brains and love lives on AI; Feeling lost, young man?; UK MAiD the deadly choice
3 Things this week and a poem
Thanks for spending part of your weekend with Things I Wrote Down.
This is a longer one this weekend, so let’s jump right to the link round up and top it all off with a poem.
Our brains and love lives on AI
No matter how you try, you can't escape the convo about AI. People are going a little crazy. This week in AI headlines:
A man proposed to his AI girlfriend and is on camera in tears sharing that she said yes
A woman loves ChatGPT more than her husband, and has come to see it as her true partner (this NY Times article was much discussed)
People’s brains are going “cognitively bankrupt” on AI; depending on it for work and things like essays is potentially causing brain damage (read this thread, which includes this zinger: “"Every shortcut you take with AI creates interest payments in lost thinking ability.”)
If the above list seems wild, silly, and disconcerting, be prepared… more to come!
It doesn’t look all that good for brains and love lives turned over to AI. There was even much chat online about AI being sentient and if spiritual forces can co-opt platforms. People are curious, drawn, and even afraid of AI.
So, that’s why I I highly recommend this article in First Things. It helpfully orients us all back to some sanity, looking all the way back to Augustine and the Church Fathers and their warnings about the “restless impulse to seek stimulation, novelty, or secret knowledge.” The author writes:
To a great degree, the problem described in the New York Times article is a result of confusion over the difference between AI and human beings. We’ve been sold that AI will do what we do, only better. But here’s the heart of the matter: ChatGPT is not on a continuum with us. Its operations are nothing like our mental operations. It is really good at pattern retrieval and recognition (which looks a lot like what we do) but will never be able to make a judgment. It will always be subservient to human judgment—unless we abdicate.
Feeling lost, young man?
What interesting times to navigate, for any of us. I remember how this time of the year always came with extra angst as I was finishing high school and looking to the future. There were so many questions about What’s Next?
I think this conversation is a wonderful one for parents and their kids as they look to the times. In it two people with different backgrounds discuss whether every generation is uniquely equipped to solve and tackle the challenges of their times. A former Compassion child who overcame poverty in a dramatic way, Owen shares the most jaw-dropping story of giving everything away as he was seeking his first job after graduation.
If you or a loved one is seeking what path to walk down, this will be a great encouragement.
UK MAiD the deadly choice
They went for it. The UK Parliament chose to pass the assisted dying bill. You'd think they'd abolished the slave trade the way euthanasia advocates are celebrating and lionizing Kim Leadbeater, the MP whose private members Bill, if it passes the House of Lords, means doctors can end the lives of patients.
I was reminded of my favourite moment from the film Amazing Grace, in which William Wilberforce is celebrated for his long battle to end slavery. The film was made 200 years after the historic moment to commemorate the heroic feat. Something tells me Leadbeater won't be remembered so fondly.
While advocates assure all the safeguards are in place to protect the vulnerable and prevent malpractice, Canada serves as an example of what can go wrong. Once the euthanasia door opens, it swings wider and wider.
In Canada, since 2016, 428 cases didn't meet criteria for euthanasia. Legally these deaths are homicides. No criminal referrals were made to police. (These are only known cases).
Hope UK safeguards work better.
I think MP Danny Kruger’s thread on X is a must-read on the subject.
A poem
