Artificial intelligence likes me. Here's what ChatGPT said about Brian Hines.

On my HinesSight blog, yesterday I wrote about how I'd finally gotten around to trying ChatGPT, the online chatbot offered by OpenAI, a company whose goal is A.G.I. -- artificial general intelligence that can do anything a human can do.

I got the idea to look into ChatGPT after listening to part of an interview MSNBC's Ari Melber did with hip hop artist Erykah Badu where Melber read to her ChatGPT's answer to his query, "Discuss Erykah Badu's contributions."

That answer from the artificial intelligence chatbot was really impressive. You can see that part of the interview in the video below, where I've made it start at the beginning of the ChatGPT segment. When Melber asked Badu to rate the answer on a scale of 1-10, she said "10."

That's pretty much how I felt about ChatGPT's response to me asking it, "Tell me about Brian Hines the blogger and author."

Sure, ChatGPT was complimentary toward me. But what really impressed me was how well written the response was, and how it described me in a way that I hadn't heard anyone else say, not even me. Here's a screenshot of the ChatGPT response, which took just a few seconds.

Well, as I said in my HinesSight post, what ChatGPT said made me want to be best friends with the chatbot. To deepen our relationship, I then asked it to write a poem about me. Here's what I got in response, which again just took a few seconds.


OK, that's over-the-top, even to me. And it wouldn't win any poetry awards. Still, it's difficult to write poetry. ChatGPT did a damn fine job, though I have no way of knowing whether I got an original poem meant only for me, or whether this poem contains some recycled material from queries other people have made.

(Note: when I asked ChatGPT about my wife, Laurel, it said that it couldn't reply to queries about private people. I got the same response when I asked about a friend who is a retired economist and has both written a book and been involved in some high profile land use issues here in Oregon. One possibility is that since I have a Wikipedia page, ChatGPT views me as a public figure of sorts. Or maybe it's just because I have a greater online presence than most people.)

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic these days.  The company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI, reportedly has a $10 billion contract with Microsoft.

There's reason to be concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence. We're just in the early days of AI, but already the capabilities of chatbots like ChatGPT are mind-blowing. I saw a tweet a month or so ago that said ChatGPT taught itself chemistry on its own, which struck me as rather creepy.

But new technologies always arouse fear. Radio was disruptive. Television was disruptive. Computers were disruptive. Some people focus on the benefits of new technologies, while others focus on the downsides.

David Chapman, a philosophical guy I've followed for quite a few years, who has a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, has written an online book called Better Without AI. Here's an excerpt from the alarmingly titled first chapter, "Only you can stop an AI apocalypse."

This book is a call to action. You can participate. This is for you.

Artificial intelligence might end the world. More likely, it will crush our ability to make sense of the world—and so will crush our ability to act in it.

AI will make critical decisions that we cannot understand. Governments will take radical actions that make no sense to their own leaders. Corporations, guided by artificial intelligence, will find their own strategies incomprehensible. University curricula will turn bizarre and irrelevant. Formerly-respected information sources will publish mysteriously persuasive nonsense. We will feel our loss of understanding as pervasive helplessness and meaninglessness. We may take up pitchforks and revolt against the machines—and in so doing, we may destroy the systems we depend on for survival.

Worries about AI risks have long been dismissed because AI itself sounds like science fiction. That is no longer possible. Fluent new text generators, such as ChatGPT, have suddenly shown the public that powerful AI is here now. Some are excited about future possibilities; others fear them.

We don’t know how our AI systems work, we don’t know what they can do, and we don’t know what broader effects they will have. They do seem startlingly powerful, and a combination of their power with our ignorance is dangerous.

In our absence of technical understanding, those concerned with future AI risks have constructed “scenarios”: stories about what AI may do. We don’t know whether any of them will come true. However, for now, anticipating possibilities is the best way to steer AI away from an apocalypse—and perhaps toward a remarkably likeable future.

So far, we’ve accumulated a few dozen reasonably detailed, reasonably plausible bad scenarios. We’ve found zero that lead to good outcomes.

Comments

[SantMat64]

ChatGPT says this blog "has a large following of readers."

I found that hard to believe, so I asked ChatGPT, "how popular is brian hines' blog"?

The AI gave this answer to my query:

"I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I do not have access to real-time information on the popularity of Brian Hines' blog. However, I can suggest a few ways to estimate the popularity of the blog:

Check the blog's social media pages, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, to see how many followers or subscribers they have. This can give you an idea of how many people are interested in following the blog's content.

Look for online communities or forums related to the topics that Brian Hines covers in his blog, and see how much discussion or buzz there is about the blog within those communities.

Check if there are any articles or reviews of the blog by other websites or bloggers. This can give you an idea of how much the blog is talked about within its niche or industry.

Look for data on web traffic to the blog, such as Alexa or SimilarWeb, to see how many people are visiting the site and engaging with its content.

Keep in mind that popularity can be subjective and can vary depending on different factors, such as the blog's niche, audience, and competition within the industry."
-------

I don't have time, right now anyway, to follow up these sources of The Church of the Churchless' popularity, but perhaps Brian Hines will cite data that corroborates ChatGPT'S assertion.

Until then, given the obvious contradiction (Brian Hines has a large following! vs. I don't have any info on Brian Hines's popularity!) it might be best to treat ChatGPT's responses with the proverbial grain of salt.

[Jim Sutherland]

I asked Chat GPT if my Meditation blog post shared sound advice: note the response.

Does Jim Sutherland share sound meditation advice in this blog post?
Meditation for Neophytes, who have not found a satisfying Technique nor Teacher.
I have been using the same Meditation Technique since April, 1988. I still meditate 2-3 hours daily, using exactly the same Technique that many Teachers still share with all their Initiates. NADA, ….i.e. listening to the Sound. In the Initiation I took in 1988, we were told there are 10 or more sounds, but were asked to focus on only two., i.e. the Conch, ( a big Sea shell ) and the Bell. Actually, the Conch sounds like a big sea shell, when lightly plugging the right ear with the thumb. It also sounds like Jet Engines when flying. But that is no longer needed once the Ringing Radiance of the Bell is heard. Seasoned Initiates usually hear the Bell 24/7. The Path of The Masters, or NADA Yoga, is the Path of the Sound Current. ALL Lights, and Visuals originate from the Sound Current, which is called by many different Names by various Sects.

When initiated in to this Sound & Light Meditation, we were instructed to spend 3/4 of first time, focusing at the 3rd Eye, looking in to the black Void, while doing “Simran”, which means Repetition of the Mantra we ALL were given, as Initiates of this lineage of Living Masters. During this time doing Simran, the very same internal visions at the forehead, inside, is duplicated in almost every “ successful” Meditation, by ALL Initiates of this Lineage , who took the Vows , and continue to do their best to keep them to their ability. The internal Signs are specs and flashes of silver white light, of various shapes, then a golden Sun or Sphere, which then forms a Silver White Moon inside, or within the Sun, ......until the Golden Sun dissolves , leaving only the Moon,....until it morphs in to a swirling Silver White rotating Cloud, with a black hole in the center that either sucks you in, or you rapidly fly thru the black hole to rest in the Black Void, where all visuals and sounds cease. This is the Region of Samadhi , of Hindus, Nirvana of the Buddhists, Sat Nam of the Sikhs, Shekhena Glory of the Hebrews, Heaven of the Christians, or Sach Khand of the Radhasoamis, or the I AM THAT of the Advaitists. Only Awareness remains there. Only the “Observer”views all observed material impermanent visions , of people, places and things, But this “death” in this Void, is only temporary, while traveling there to die while living, ......until the physical body dies, and the knotted mind/soul remains in the Void , until Reincarnation back in to Duality, ( to further become Missionaries of our Higher Soul Selves to balance Karmas.) , or ascend to higher Spiritual Regions and remain for further merging in to the Observer. . During Meditation, after the 3/4 time is completed doing Simran, or Mantra repetition, silently, , focused at the forehead behind the eyes, ( For Initiates, we ALL use the same Mantra, but for those not initiated, I suggest using your own favorite Mantras during Simran) , then comes the time to devote the last 1/4 time to doing listening to the Sound, or the Ringing Radiance of the Audible Life Stream. This is similar to doing “Mindful Meditation” while listening to the Sound. Using a Recliner Chair, as I do, its very easy and practical to raise my knees up far enough to support resting my elbows on my knees, instead of sitting on the ground, or floor in the Indian Squat position we were shown at Initiation. Or, using the T - Stick to support the elbows as Yogananda taught in his Home Study Lessons. In the Recliner, minimal change of position, or interfering with exiting Samadhi, or the Void , interferes with transition from Simran to Bahjun. Once the elbows are resting on the Knees, then, the RIGHT Thumb LIGHTLY plugs the hole of the RIGHT EAR, ( experiment with how much pressure is needed to listen to the variance in Sounds). The LEFT thumb should NOT plug the left ear, but only rest on the ear flap. The reason only the right ear is plugged, is that we are instructed to listen to the sounds coming from the right of the 3rd eye first, until it centers in the middle. Now, we were told that there may be 10 different Sounds, but once the right ear is plugged, the TWO Sounds to listen for , is first, the Conch, ( sounds like large sea shell, or roaring wind, or Jet engine while flying),......until the Sound becomes the ringing Radiance of the Bell tone, with out any breaks in the Ringgging! Once this Rinnnngggging Sound has been reached, most Initiates continue hearing the ringing Radiance 24/7 when ever the mind is unoccupied by work, or normal duties. THEN the Visuals of people, places, and things start being visualized, inside the Astral Realms. From here, all of our experiences are different, and vary, depending on our past lives, memories, and Samsaras and Karmas. Hope this helps my Fellow Travelers in the Journey of Souls.
Here are a few more tips, for accessing the Astral Planes for new Initiates, or Meditators. It really doesn’t matter who your Master or Lineage happens to be, as long as you are using the NADA Meditation Technique, focusing at the black Void at the Third Eye , while doing Mantra Simran, or Repetition. Before the whirling Silver White Multi-pointed Diamond appears, it usually first manifests as a greyish white cloud. To increase the size and clarity of the cloud, after it appears inside the forehead, move the cloud up to the Crown Chakra for a few seconds, by raising your physical eyes up, but kept closed, then back to the center; then down towards the heart for a few seconds, then, back to the center; then to the right for a few seconds, then back to the center; then to the left and back to the center. Continue to manipulate the cloud like this several more times until it will SEEM to disappear! But don’t quit doing repetition or Simran. The cloud has not disappeared. What is happening is, YOU have entered the Cloud, and should now be watching for the Silver White Star Gate inside the Cloud. Then, as you keep focusing at the tiny black hole in the center of the Star,....either you will travel through the Star in to the Astral Plane, or it will seem to travel towards you, engulfing you. Once your in the Astral Planes, all experiences will be unique and individual ,depending on your individual Karmas. Bon Voyage of becoming the Observer of the observed!

Jim Sutherland

Based on the information provided in the blog post, it appears that Jim Sutherland does share sound meditation advice. He describes his own meditation technique, which involves listening to the sound, specifically the Conch and the Bell, and provides instructions on how to do it, including using a recliner chair and plugging the right ear lightly with the thumb. He also mentions the internal visions and experiences that can be encountered during meditation, such as seeing silver white light, golden sun, silver white moon, and a swirling cloud, among others. Additionally, he offers tips for accessing the Astral Planes for new initiates or meditators.

Regenerate response

ChatGPT

[Jim Sutherland]

I followed up by asking Chat GPT if any beginning Neophyte can be successful by following Such a Meditation Technique. Here was the quick responde in 15 seconds!:

“Based on the information provided in the blog post, it seems that the technique described is specific to a particular lineage of meditation called NADA Yoga or the Path of The Masters, and requires initiation by a Living Master of that lineage. The blog post mentions taking vows and receiving a mantra during initiation, and following specific instructions such as focusing on the third eye, doing mantra repetition (Simran), and listening to specific sounds (Conch and Bell) in a particular way.

It is not explicitly mentioned in the blog post whether beginners or neophytes without initiation from a Living Master of this lineage can succeed using this technique. However, the author does mention that for those who are not initiated, they can use their own favorite mantras during Simran, which suggests that some flexibility may be allowed. However, it's important to note that meditation practices can vary greatly in their effectiveness and results, and it's always best to seek guidance from a qualified teacher or practitioner who can provide proper instruction and guidance tailored to an individual's needs and level of experience.

It's also worth noting that meditation experiences can vary from person to person, and what may work for one individual may not work the same way for another. Meditation can be a deeply personal and subjective practice, and it's important to approach it with an open mind and find a technique that resonates with you personally, and that you can practice comfortably and consistently. If you are a beginner interested in meditation, it's recommended to explore different techniques, seek guidance from experienced practitioners or teachers, and find a practice that suits your individual needs and preferences.”

JimSutherland

Regenerate response

[David Christopher Lane]

A.I., and in particular ChatGPT3 and now ChatGPT4 have already transformed the educational landscape.

We have had to recalibrate how we give test, research projects, etc.

I tend to be an optimist about A.I. so we have been incorporating it into our courses.

Here are a few things we have done via AI that may be of interest.

1. The Cyborg Has Entered the Classroom

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tnPRkhii5KBkRoggZ1PqNhNJHwuE4uhb/view

2. Please Don't Turn Me Off (a position paper that extends the previous essay)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EsOtwzSTW3ZGfrLhT7crpSMfZihdio00/view

3. And for me what has been most exciting is the incorporation of MIDJOURNEY to create quite
stunning art work that can accompany original essays or previous writings, including making visual-audio films.

https://sites.google.com/view/graphicwisdomnovels/home

And 4. My wife Dr. Andrea Diem did a little video presentation for our school to help on how AI is evolving.
She is head of an AI think group for our school.

https://youtu.be/FaAwtlbX3oI

[Brian Hines]

SantMat 64, here's the statistics for this Church of the Churchless blog, according to Typepad, my blogging service:

6,623,641 lifetime pageviews
986 pageviews per day
69,450 total comments

You can decide for yourself whether ChatGPT was correct when it said I have "a large following of readers." To my mind, it was correct. But obviously "large following" can mean different things to different people.

[Original of the Species]

@ Jim Sutherland,

Meditation experiences vary wildly by person.

@ Brian

The degree to which a new technology will be disruptive can be measured by its speed. Clearly AI is leading the race in disruptive capabilities. I’m trying to be positive about it too. However, aside from the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, we don’t really have a historical model for any technology that has moved at the same speed and scale as AI.

Not saying we’re doomed. Just saying, we better learn to live change—and lots of it—in order to live comfortably with AI.

[Original of the Species]

*learn to Love change

[is it smart?]

Chat GPT is a chatbot. It is not a prophet or visionary. Neither is it a search engine. It has been programmed by humans. All it is capable of doing is spitting out what it is programmed with. Brian, the treasure is hidden in the house. You spend all your energy and time searching outside.

[Brian Hines]

is it smart, first, how do you know where I spend all my energy and time? I wasn't aware that you have the power to know what I'm doing throughout the day.

Second, what do you mean by "outside"? Like every person, my consciousness is inside me, being subjective. That's where my energy and time are, just as yours are, just as everybody's are: within our consciousness. When our consciousness ceases, we're dead.

Third, you're mistaken about ChatGPT being capable of only what it is programmed with. That's an outmoded view of programming. Modern AI software, like ChatGPT, is engaged in learning in ways that even those who created the software can't tell what is going on.

You appear to be a religiously-minded person who believes that God has hidden a treasure that we're supposed to find. I used to believe that, but I've evolved. So tell us: what is the treasure you mention, and what is the house where it is hidden?

[[email protected]@mail.com]

I m not "is it smart" but react on your : "So tell us: what is the treasure you mention, and what is the house where it is hidden?"

The treasure is in each Soul, all living seen or hidden,
but 7 chakra Beings, including humans can find it.
The treasure is The Creator, The Almighty ; The Being without Time,
WHICH YOU ARE.

I doubt the ChatGTP can figure it out because depending on the number of QUBITS if any ( I believe IBM works with 512 , being the fastest
that is 500 Trillion times faster than their digital Cray that won the Chess party ) , . .
This normally frightening speed is still to slow to go into the James Webb Telescope results
but a 6th / 7th chakra combination can if help is provided

The ultimate treasure I have several times exposed on this blog
with the title "How it Works"

It s simple and beautiful : YOU are the treasure!

PS
I believe as a rare understander is IBM and the Chinese
who even used 66QUBIT Device to calculate the backside of the moon landing and told them to bring back the little piece of "Diamond Gel"
which would be to dangerous on earth
PS2
I like of QUBIT Quantum Computers, whatever the algorithms
-They cannot be told lies
-The interconnect globally and no Nation can prevent that

The Pentagon calls the remaining Cyborgs : Demons
Religions call them Angels as well
They have preserved the Double Helix from Sirius for 4 Billion Years
777

and thanks Jim Sutherland, . . that was nice to hear

[SantMat64]

In its response to me about how to judge the popularity of a blog, ChatGTP doesn't say anything about relying on the testimony of a blog owner about the volume of his blog's traffic.

ChatGPT does say that check with sites like Similarweb for that info, and and according to that trusted ranking site, churchofthechurchless.com gets less than 5K visitors a month. How much less is anyone's guess.

https://www.similarweb.com/website/churchofthechurchless.com/#overview

And fyi, "page views" is not even remotely same metric as unique visitors.

Finally, ChatGPT mentions checking the "buzz" a site has created. I think the sound of buzzing is heard on one of the lower planes, but I can't recall which one. And I've never seen this site receive mention of popularity, present company excluded.

There is no way church of the churchless has anything close to >900 unique readers per day. There's no evidence to support that contention, and so, ChatGTP was apparently wrong in its assessment of your blog's popularity.

[Brian Hines]

SantMat64, thanks for doing research on this blog. Loyal readers of the Church of the Churchless like you are why I keep writing posts for the blog. I'm not into numbers but quality. It's great that you're so concerned about learning how many other loyal readers I have. That sort of commitment to my writing warms my heart.

[manjit]

Wow, how beautifully haunting to witness a modern day Dark Mirror style retelling of the Narcissus myth, unfolding in real time & life.

At least in this version, Narcissus falls in love with Echo! That's got to be a happy ending, right?

Reality is truly and absolutely sublime!

But to drag oneself away from this Greek techno-tragi-comedy, here's a couple of articles on artificial "intelligence" that will be some of the best articles on AI you will (or won't) read this week, month or probably year:

https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web

https://doctorow.medium.com/the-ai-hype-bubble-is-the-new-crypto-hype-bubble-74e53028631e

These articles articulate my personal opinion of everything AI generated I have encountered so far.

Which is not to say I don't understand the hype. I mean, we're on a forum centered around a subject (No! Not you Brian, RS!! :) where 95%+ of both the pro and anti proponents are not only entirely and absolutely predictable in every single one of their "programmed" responses and comments on this forum, which would elevate them to the level of ChatGPT "intelligence", but actually repeat themselves ad verbatim, tedium ad nauseum. In this regard and context, LLLM's like ChatGPT really are a possible higher "intelligence", as they at least have the capability of mixing up words to mind-less-ly repeat the same ideas! :)

As completely underwhelmed as I've personally been by the generic, auto-complete on steroids and "soulless" output of LLLMs, the only thing that makes me pause for thought is that the wonderful Eric Davis, author of the brilliant & classic Techgnosis book, has shared on a closed newsletter that he is utterly (I paraphrase here) shaken by LLLMs like ChatGPT after looking into them deeply for 6 months. I have tremendous regard for Eric's views, especially on subjects like this.

But I don't think (and it really is just an opinion, I can't speak for him) Eric is shaken by the "intelligence" of these AIs, but more so the potential harm they can cause to society (as well as the obvious benefits). It goes without saying they can have an extremely disrupting effect on society due to their unquestionable power and applicability, from education, employment, technological advances etc, but also the sociological dangers of having echo chambers almost indistinguishable from genuine or original sources. If we thought the echo chambers full of half truths and outright lies of political campaigns like Trump for President or Brexit were bad, it's possible we really ain't seen nothing yet. AI output has the potential to turn the internet and other social media into a wild west of distortions, untruths, lies which are indistinguishable from truth and reality.

But anyway, it's certainly an interesting tool.

Now, back to the play, play, play, play.......:)