Sep 23, 2024 04:52 PM
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/an-off-world...5aa653f57d
EXCERPT: . . . The schedule of this Stern Stewart symposium, to which I was invited as a member of WORLD.MINDS, was split evenly between the realms of politics and science & technology.
[...] In the discussions about politics, I noticed an underlying thread. The lack of respect or sympathy to weak individuals or nations, triggers violence and conflicts. Germany lost its national pride after World War I and engaged in World War II to restore its dignity. [...] Russia lost some of its pride after the Soviet Union disintegrated and is now engaged in war with Ukraine. A simple way to avoid these boomerang effects is to always pay respect, sympathize and support those on the losing side of historical circumstances.
There is a dark undercurrent in human history which is driven by the frustration of those who feel humiliated. Commentators who are outraged by the presidential candidate Donald Trump, should understand that he would not have had his political support without a large contingency of society feeling alienated and ignored. One must engage with the root of any political phenomenon if one wishes to change it. While circumstances change, the phenomenon will repeat as long as its underlying cause stays in place.
[...] When Arwa Damon discussed truth in journalistic reports, I noted: “To our dismay, wars are often initiated by alpha-males. How do you view from a woman’s perspective the fact that the rape of Jewish women on October 7, 2023 or the recent silencing of Afghan women is not covered enough in the media to galvanize protests by women organizations worldwide?”
In my own presentation, I highlighted my hope that the messianic message of peace and prosperity will arrive to Earth from another star, since our politicians and spiritual leaders fail to promote it. [...] In summer 2025, I hope to lead an expedition to the crash site of the interstellar meteor IM1 in the Pacific Ocean in order to figure out the nature of this object based on the pieces that will be collected by a robot with a video feed. As of now, AI stands for terrestrial `artificial intelligence’ made by humans, but in the future these initials might also represent `alien intelligence’.
During the panel discussion on the risks to education from AI, I gave an example of a Harvard student who recently wrote a paper with me. While reviewing the draft of the paper, I noticed a reference that does not exist and incorrect statements about the literature. It was obvious to me that these hallucinations were the result of the student using AI tools to write the paper.
A member of the audience then asked: “What happened to that student?” and I replied: “I am very gentle with young people because they make innocent mistakes in the process of learning about the world. When I first arrived at my current home and went to the front yard, I saw a tree with a broken branch. Rather than tear the branch apart, I used an insulation tape to strengthen it. Today, twenty years later, it is the tallest branch of the tree. The insulation tape is still visible like lipstick from an old kiss. Young people are fragile and partly broken and we have to mentor them in their early stages. My hope is to stay young just like them as I make my own mistakes while learning about the world.”
EXCERPT: . . . The schedule of this Stern Stewart symposium, to which I was invited as a member of WORLD.MINDS, was split evenly between the realms of politics and science & technology.
[...] In the discussions about politics, I noticed an underlying thread. The lack of respect or sympathy to weak individuals or nations, triggers violence and conflicts. Germany lost its national pride after World War I and engaged in World War II to restore its dignity. [...] Russia lost some of its pride after the Soviet Union disintegrated and is now engaged in war with Ukraine. A simple way to avoid these boomerang effects is to always pay respect, sympathize and support those on the losing side of historical circumstances.
There is a dark undercurrent in human history which is driven by the frustration of those who feel humiliated. Commentators who are outraged by the presidential candidate Donald Trump, should understand that he would not have had his political support without a large contingency of society feeling alienated and ignored. One must engage with the root of any political phenomenon if one wishes to change it. While circumstances change, the phenomenon will repeat as long as its underlying cause stays in place.
[...] When Arwa Damon discussed truth in journalistic reports, I noted: “To our dismay, wars are often initiated by alpha-males. How do you view from a woman’s perspective the fact that the rape of Jewish women on October 7, 2023 or the recent silencing of Afghan women is not covered enough in the media to galvanize protests by women organizations worldwide?”
In my own presentation, I highlighted my hope that the messianic message of peace and prosperity will arrive to Earth from another star, since our politicians and spiritual leaders fail to promote it. [...] In summer 2025, I hope to lead an expedition to the crash site of the interstellar meteor IM1 in the Pacific Ocean in order to figure out the nature of this object based on the pieces that will be collected by a robot with a video feed. As of now, AI stands for terrestrial `artificial intelligence’ made by humans, but in the future these initials might also represent `alien intelligence’.
During the panel discussion on the risks to education from AI, I gave an example of a Harvard student who recently wrote a paper with me. While reviewing the draft of the paper, I noticed a reference that does not exist and incorrect statements about the literature. It was obvious to me that these hallucinations were the result of the student using AI tools to write the paper.
A member of the audience then asked: “What happened to that student?” and I replied: “I am very gentle with young people because they make innocent mistakes in the process of learning about the world. When I first arrived at my current home and went to the front yard, I saw a tree with a broken branch. Rather than tear the branch apart, I used an insulation tape to strengthen it. Today, twenty years later, it is the tallest branch of the tree. The insulation tape is still visible like lipstick from an old kiss. Young people are fragile and partly broken and we have to mentor them in their early stages. My hope is to stay young just like them as I make my own mistakes while learning about the world.”