Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness, Part 5

Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness, Part 5

“Nothing living, conscious, and full of love can arise from the dead binary codes of artificial intelligence.”[1]

Ivan Antic

The book I published earlier this year, Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way, brought an unfamiliar twist I had not experienced before. I was asked whether I used AI in its writing. I had not, but I wonder what would change if I had. I assume there would have been a disclosure added that AI had contributed to the manuscript. Which brings up an interesting question for me: If AI assists in the writing of a manuscript, even in minor ways, can the original writer truthfully claim sole ownership over the work? Who would “own” the parts of the work contributed to by AI? If I, as an author, quote the work of another, or if I use another author’s work to contribute in some way to mine, I must give them credit for their part. To not do so is plagiarism. But AI is neither a person nor an author.

Which brings up another interesting dilemma, at least for me. I believe some of the ideas and inspirations I eventually turn into music and essays emerge from somewhere outside of the bundle of consciousness I identify as me. I often wonder, “Where did that come from?”, when an idea hits that seems foreign to my normal streams of consciousness. I may not even understand what I wrote except for a vague feeling of rightness. When that happens, my dilemma is this: can I claim full authorship of something that I believe originated outside of myself? And if not, who should I share credit with? I know at least some other authors share similar experiences of the unknown origins of some of their inspirations.

In an even more revealing sense, I am constantly forming thoughts and ideas from works of other authors and songwriters I read and listen to, friends I converse with, shows I watch, media posts I see, and countless other content sources. When I can identify a specific source with a specific idea I try to do so, but I honestly cannot always make such associations. My conclusion is that I likely have no original ideas or inspirations and should not be claiming anything I write as solely mine. An idiom I think of often is: Steal from me and you’ve stolen twice, meaning I can no longer identify who I “stole” my ideas from, but if you steal mine, you’re stealing theirs, too.

When we use AI as a writing assistant, and if we decide to share credit for the work, who deserves the credit for the assistance? If AI draws on the writings of countless authors spanning many millennia, how could we even begin to identify the ones AI drew from to assist our writing? Would an AI administrator even know? My understanding is that AI is trained on an on-going basis from multiple sources spanning countless generations and cultures, but is it capable of identifying the specific sources it draws upon for any given suggestion?

And is using AI that much different than using The Chicago Manual of Style[2], an authoritative and regularly updated guide to writing first published in 1891, as a reference for improved writing? One difference is that we must do the work to identify the relevant recommendations in a bulky publication when using the Manual, where with AI we can access the same information quickly with a few keystrokes. Is using AI that much different than using a dictionary, thesaurus, or rhyming dictionary – written sources I often use in my writing? Except that using AI may make my researching efforts easier and faster.

I began this series of essays intending to focus on AI and consciousness. I postulated early on that AI is not conscious, nor does it claim to be. I consider my conscious awareness as the engine that drives and accomplishes everything I write and do. Should AI be considered an aide, a hindrance, or a threat to the workings of my conscious awareness? I still (currently) resist the promptings of AI assistants imbedded in my various software programs, but should I? Am I afraid to do so? I think my discomfort comes from the thought of having a bot do my writing for me. I guess I fear it will be harder to claim a work as mine in that scenario; but for reasons I’ve just articulated, I am conflicted about claiming my writings as mine anyway.

Author Ivan Antic refers to AI as a series of “dead, binary codes,” and claims “nothing living, conscious, and full of love can arise from” it. I agree, but I find myself frequently using the written and spoken codes from countless other sources. Regardless of whether I use AI or an encyclopedia, it will always require my conscious awareness to make a work “living, conscious, and full of love.”

This is the 11^thin a series titled The Perplexities of Consciousness. Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Ivan Antic, The Physics of Consciousness, Samkhya Publishing LTD, London, 2021, p. 180.

[2] Published by The University of Chicago Press