The AI Feast

Before we discovered fire to cook our food, we spent a significant amount of time chewing. Consider gorillas, who, according to a nature show I watched, chew for hours each day. Some mountain gorillas even spend half their day gnawing on their food. But introduce fire, and you have a barbecue. The food is prepared quickly, and our bodies don't have to expend nearly as much time and energy breaking it down for digestion.

This is how I view AI technologies like ChatGPT. They're revolutionizing how we consume and process information, aiming to foster knowledge. They encourage us to think about thinking, and in doing so, they can help us better understand ourselves. Indeed, before we can effectively communicate with others, we need to comprehend ourselves. By gaining a clearer sense of our own worth, we're more likely to treat others as though they hold similar value.

However, there's always the risk of veering off course, even with the best intentions. This happens easily when we mistake the model for reality. We've been gnawing on leaves, and suddenly, we're presented with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Considering the current state of global health—with many countries, if not the entire world, struggling with obesity and poor health—the implications of this new cognitive feast could be substantial. It has the potential to amplify both benevolent and malevolent powers.

In AI and the future of humanity | Yuval Noah Harari at the Frontiers Forum , Mr. Harari breaks down some of his concerns. He’s not worried about terminator robots, he’s worried about how easily people are persuaded to do things that aren’t in there best interest. He makes a compelling point about the transformation of algorithmic functions from attention capturing to intimacy. Ultimately, he appeals to us to appreciate the power of language and leaves me wondering how little we even understand the degree to which language (a technology, and the very thing that makes up all the blocks for all our models of the universe) can be hacked, and us along with it. Now go chew on that for a couple hours.

AI Alignment: First Principles

The Intersection of AI Alignment and Self Alignment: A Case for Physical Practices

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’m just going to say it plainly. Achieving AI alignment is a goal that first requires self-alignment. We cannot expect to correct an external relationship until internal balance is maintained. Otherwise, we will quickly find ourselves adrift in our own delusions. So here’s my belief: teaching physical alignment through practices like martial arts (Tai Chi specifically) will help individuals mentally and emotionally prepare themselves while seeking AI alignment solutions.

Developing Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation

Physical alignment practices help individuals develop greater self-awareness and self-regulation. By practicing mindfulness and present-moment awareness, individuals can develop the ability to recognize and regulate their own biases, emotions, and thoughts. This can help them approach their complex work with greater objectivity and clarity.

Fostering Empathy and Compassion

Physical alignment practices can also help individuals develop greater empathy and compassion for others. This is not only a critical skill for effective AI alignment but also for just being a kind person. Acknowleding our imbalance, our biases, means being vulnerable. Being vulnerable doesn’t take courage, it builds courage. A deeper understanding of this helps develop a deeper sense of connection and understanding with others. This allows us to take on and better appreciate the perspectives and values of different stakeholders. I’d say that was important to the development of AI systems.

Building Discipline and Resilience

Physical alignment practices can help individuals develop discipline and resilience. These are valuable traits for cybersecurity teams and other professionals working in the tech industry where burnout seems to be a critical issue. By developing the ability to focus and persevere in the face of challenges and setbacks, individuals can better navigate the complexities and uncertainties of AI alignment and cybersecurity.

Reframing Power and Conflict through Tai Chi

Practicing Tai Chi specifically means learning to approach conflict differently. The use of power is redefined because what power is and where it comes from is transformed. There is no clenched fist, there is no seeking of power. There is plenty of power all around, and more importantly within us. The problem is that we have been told that there is something wrong with us and something must be added. When in fact, it is the opposite. There is more to us than we can imagine and power is not force, but control, and knowing the minimum effort necessary is the best possible policy. Strength isn’t in the breaking, but in the holding up, learning to support ourselves and each other.

Conclusion: The Benefits of Physical Alignment Practices

Overall, by teaching physical alignment practices like martial arts to employees and cybersecurity teams, organizations can help develop the skills and perspectives necessary for effective AI alignment and cybersecurity. These practices can help individuals develop greater self-awareness, empathy, discipline, and resilience, which can ultimately contribute to more ethical and socially responsible AI systems. Additionally, promoting physical and mental wellness among employees can also contribute to a healthier and more productive workforce, which can benefit the organization in many ways.

I encourage you to consider incorporating physical alignment practices into your own life or workplace. The benefits are manifold and the impact on AI alignment could be profound. Oh, and if you need someone who teaches Tai Chi and is into cybersecurity- I know a guy.

Digital Humanism

Sam Harris and the inventor of Virtual Reality, Jaron Lanier

This podcast is from 2018, but don’t let that fool you. This is still important ground to consider. It provides a measure for what kind of changes have taken place since this conversation.

One of the biggest points here: the value of creative ideas. Ideas act as the building blocks for shared values. And culture emerges from shared values.

AI and the Great Filter

Lex Fridman & Max Tegmark discuss AI and the future of Humanity. I came across this podcast researching machine learning. What a treasure. These guys cover a lot of ground in three hours. Here are my favorite topics:

(08:15) – AI and physics
(21:32) – Can AI discover new laws of physics?
(30:22) – AI safety
(47:59) – Extinction of human species
(58:57) – How to fix fake news and misinformation
(1:59:39) – AI alignment
(2:05:42) – Consciousness
(2:29:53) – AI and creativity
(2:41:08) – Aliens

After you make it through the whole thing, please share with me what you think about the concept of the big filter?

Cognitive Countering

Sam Harris’ Making Sense podcast has a bunch of great conversations. Of particular interest are two that focus on how the mind is built to make mistakes and methods for overcoming our cognitive biases.

Maps to Misunderstanding is a conversation with Daniel Kahneman author of Thinking Fast & Slow. Discover System 1 System 2 and the difference between the remembering self and the experiencing self.

Mental Models is a conversation with Shane Parrish from The Knowledge Project podcast. Which looks like my next info-binge.

How to Deal With Work Bullies

Bigthink has an article discussing sleep problems stemming from personality conflicts at work. The article runs down physiological effects of chronic stressful encounters at work and offers up a few basic ways to mediate the stress: Meditation, exercise, listening to music, taking a walk and volunteering.

Couple thoughts. Anyone who is rude or condescending is afraid of losing power or doesn’t believe they have enough to feel safe. In short they are cowards who are afraid to ask for help. This leaves them with only one option, take power from others. These people have already failed at making others happy. They probably had to deal with some other terrified person that taught them this behavior. Someone who could never be made happy.

So the bully cannot find their power in helping, because they themselves feel helpless. How can they support others when they feel like they are about to fall apart? So instead they gain power, in their minds, by seeing other people in pain. They can achieve at least that and to them that is the false evidence of their power or control. Their behavior reflects the internal aggression they feel toward themselves for not being able to make others happy. But I’m sure this is obvious.

Thought number 2, its not your job to solve their psychological issues. But it is your job to come to terms with the fact that these people rarely change their behavior. And even if you go somewhere else to escape them, there will always be another asshole.

You will have to be the one that changes in some way. Because fighting these people head on does nothing but escalate the stress and feed into their power myths.

First you have to know that they can’t actually take anything away from you. Their fear doesn’t need to be your fear. That’s them getting to set the terms of conflict. Resilience in these moments requires a strong knowledge of what you value. This gets tricky, because when I say value, people think of worth, as in materials or currencies. What I mean by value, is what do you give your attention to the most.

What gets most of your attention is the thing you give the most value. Its what gets the most power from you. If your attention is occupied by something that makes you anxious, then you will fall prey to the power myth.

If you value this person liking you, changing, or providing some kind of positive feedback from your relationship you are fighting their fight, which is a delusion. You are investing in the idea that power can be taken or earned. The trick is understanding that real power can only be given.

Last thought, the fight is not fighting. If there was a real fight it is training your attention. If you understand how much power you have and where it comes from, then you know you it can’t run out and so have plenty to give. Ultimately, this persons bully behavior is coming from a child who can not find enough love to feel safe enough to grow emotionally and play nice with others. That doesn’t mean you should be their parent. Just don’t waste your attention trying to defeat or please them.

Notes on Mark Epstein's, Thoughts Without a Thinker

This year I invested in reading, studying and practicing meditation. One of the best books I came across was Mark Epstein’s Thoughts Without a Thinker . Rather than try to regurgitate everything I’m just going to share a set of questions/quotes/statements from my notes.

• Even pain can be interesting. Sitting in meditation is often about investing in the examination of discomfort. When it hurts is when you start learning. Pulling a way, trying to hide from pain gives it leverage. Welcoming it, trying to look at it closely, it transforms.

• Other people, our own minds, and death. These are our challenges. Our greatest fear.

• What are we afraid to learn?

• Resistance, you are that which u resist.

• Transitional space, your teddy bear, the security blanket. The totems that carry between the maturation points of our lives.

• These weeds, these waves, they will help u. The things that obstruct you, you need.

• Powers of observation, not judgement.

• How do u contribute to your pain?

• When something could have happened but did not. This lives in the flesh not the words.

• Meditation on your mother...carefully tread.

• The family is the worst invention of God that never existed

• Meditation has a certain culture bias.

• Am I lovable? Estranged or enmeshed?
  
  

America is Hooked on Painkillers

Yahoo has an article that hits close to home. My mother struggled with a painkiller addiction my entire life. It destroyed her many times over. Her addiction got her arrested and institutionalized, more than once. She lost friends and a marriage. Over the years, she overdosed a number of times, until one day she did not wake. My moms’ younger brother, overdosed on the same medication not even a year later.

This is a deeply personal thing. Growing up around people suffering from pain and addiction has made me very sensitive to other’s suffering and I guess that’s why I do what I do. There are two telling quotes in the article that sums up a lot of the issue.

“The results showed that counties where marketing to doctors was heaviest had the greatest incidence of over-prescribing of opioids, as well as subsequent abuse and related deaths.”

and

Direct-to-consumer advertising by major pharmaceutical companies has also had a significant effect on pain management expectations in clients, says Chris Lee, a health care consultant and marketing manager at Family Health Centers of San Diego. “Unlike most countries, the United States allows direct-to-consumer drug ads. ‘Ask your doctor about [drug name],’ they advise patients. This generates demand levels that are simply not seen in other countries.”

Its not the final passing that is so horrible. It is the number of times you see their spirit die before their bodies give in. The article says 70,000 people died last year from overdoses. While the dead may be at peace, the living that loved them is a far greater number and their peace further away.

I miss you mom.

Time For A Mental Upgrade

If you haven’t figured it out by now, the world isn’t always what it seems, and people have a tendency to rationalize a lot of bad decisions they make. It’s simple really, our genes haven’t caught up with our culture and that means our brains are running on out-of-date programs.

What would be interesting is to see how we begin to adapt our education policies in relation to what our real issues are. Namely, understanding our limits and learning to compensate for our biases. Here is a list from BigThink of 200 things your brain is designed to get wrong.

Self Compassion Meditation

BigThink has a research article on the health benefits of Self-Compassion meditation.

Which brings us to a new study, conducted at the Universities of Exeter and Oxford and published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science on February 6. The research team assigned two short-term self-compassion exercises to 135 participants alongside control conditions that involved negative, neutral, and positive valences. The results: people feel better, physically and mentally, when they practice kindness.

Specifically, when practicing self-compassion, the volunteers experienced reduced arousal — heart rate and skin conductance, increased parasympathetic activation, heart rate variability, etc. Their nervous systems responded better when their mindset invoked kindness instead of excitability and agitation. It's an interesting finding, however "the underlying processes for this," as the researchers explicitly state, are still "not well understood."

The Giving Way: Sun Style Tai Chi Notes

The Giving Way

Still mind

Steady feet

Breathe, sink

Time the beats

All doors a trap

Desire the map

Give, facilitate

Occupy the back

Gifts freely given

Cannot be taken

Offered options

Limit choices

Show the way

They want to go

Feeling strong

In a disappearing hand

Extend their range

Let them reach

Make them long

Support what they seek

Corrupt the balance

Change the target

Seeking strength

Opens the gates

Catch them

As they tumble

Stable them

Humble

Striking a gift

Rare, swift

Creating space

Where none exists

Mind Hopeful

Body Supple

Beyond the target

The goal waits

16-min Documentary kinda about Taosim that has lots of Tai Chi

In a short film, Pamela Hiley shares her thoughts and insights from studying Taoism and Chen style Tai Chi. Her form is beautiful and her comments more than worth while.

Tai Chi Beneath The Surface

Notes on Sun Style Tai Chi

Create the shape

Fill the space

Then pick a place

For the  tension to escape

The hand falls

As the body funnels

The eye focuses

Then gently turns away

Letting force free

A conduit, not a battery

Facilitating power

Video of practice

The Up and the Down is an awareness of the lengthening and rooting forces of the body. The lifting and lengthening of the spinal cord and the sinking, pooling of the weight into the ground. It is a tension point between actions, It is a drawn bow, It is a balance point of no intention except maintaining the connection between heaven and earth. It is where potential abides. It is when the body is the most sensitive to the space it holds and where energy is flowing. Its vertical nature creates the horizontal potential. Every where you stand is a point of pivot, a resolved space, a waiting space.

As the body sinks, the frame is compressed, the strike is an expression of this compression. The body turns as it sinks, but when releasing the compression, striking, the frame does not turn, does not square up to the target. The eye focuses and then gently turns away, the shoulder, the elbow, the hand and fingers open. The hand lands, it is not thrown. The strike does not push, it releases the rebounding-body out of the hand. It should feel like a vacuum pulling something out of you bc you open, not because you push, or twist. Do not try to add to the strike, get low and let go. Do not seek to feel power.  Feeling power means you are trying to create force. You need to allow force. Like opening the doors in a house so the wind can blow through, or opening a damn so the river can flow into the valley.

What's a Big Hippocampus Good For?

Doing research on fear and anxiety moderation…SharpBrains.com has an article called Can you Grow Your Hippocamus?

“Other studies have shown that people who exercise regularly and are physically fit have a much bigger hippocampus. The more you walk, the bigger your hippocampus will get and the less would be your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. One study showed that walking one mile a day lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 48%.”

Studying the Mind that Meditates

Meditation…BIgThink has a short video on some of the research being done on super meditation nerds.

Exercise and Your Brain

A 10 minute video that covers major benefits for the brain from exercise.

Tai Chi for Strength

NYT article on the benefits of tai chi…

“Even if you do fall, tai chi, as a weight-bearing but low-stress exercise, can reduce your chances of breaking a bone. Four well-designed clinical trials showed that tai chi has positive effects on bone health. For example, in a yearlong study in Hong Kong of 132 women past menopause, those practicing tai chi experienced significantly less bone loss and fewer fractures than those who remained sedentary.”

Compassion and Loving Kindness Meditation

BigThink's quick video on Loving Kindness Meditation and physiological changes that follow.

10% Happier

10% Happier is a personal story of how Dan Harris found his way to meditation. In comparison to a number of books I've read on meditation, this one isn't trying to overwhelm you with amazing facts about mindfulness practices, rather its concerned with addressing the field of meditation at large and how Dan navigated the various well known gurus and pundits that laud the benefits of meditation and ultimately how learning to meditate improved his life.  

Better Sleep

Research on getting to sleep...faster and sleeping better.