Thriving in the age of AI — A human framework of thinking (Part 2)

I was reading an email and decided to click on Co-Pilot for the fun of it; it’s the MicroSoft AI tool that is now available. I asked about its capabilities and it focused on my most recent email — it read the email, interpreted it, offered recommendations, as well as suggested next steps. I quizzed Co-Pilot about taking away my agency. I didn’t have to read. I didn’t have interpret. I didn’t have to determine what to do. Co-Pilot was very insistent it wasn’t taking away my agency and its function was to support productivity and efficiency. It then wanted to know if it should save the essence of the conversation for the next time — it had a courteous and helpful persona as it continued to insist it was all in name of a better, more productive interaction. I wasn’t disturbed by this interaction and was now armed with a little more information about collaborative AI.

After that interaction, I decided to start writing the second part to my previous blog Thriving in the age of AI — A human framework of thinking (Part 1) when it struck me that a more refined definition of Agency would be important — after all it is a key tenet of this series.

There is an article https://www.thoughtco.com/agency-definition-3026036 in ThoughtCo. written by Nicki Lisa Cole (Ph.D.) that offers three takeaways describing agency which stress things such as making choice and actions. In my mind, these choices and actions are what are worth protecting. Her takeaways are as follows:

• Agency means people can make choices and act in ways that shape their lives.

• Society's rules influence people, but people can also change those rules through their actions.

• Even in tough situations, people can show agency by making choices to resist or succeed.

Before looking at agency in the context of AI, I thought it would be worth considering agency before AI; it was not long ago all we had to worry about were organics trying to subvert our agency. I’m calling this a Timeless Framework for Thriving because it needs a fancy name and is foundational for strong personal agency. I will say up front I am concerned the framework is incomplete and lacks depth but I will stand by the fact that this has merit. Here are the pillars of the framework I am referring to:

Maintain Physical, Mental & Emotional Health

We are very complex biological machines and like any machine it needs to be maintained for longevity. We are talking about our body, mind and soul, and to maintain ourselves, takes work; hard work. Your Agency is forged in this work and the resulting health it brings. It is a reminder that there are no short cuts and the results are a reflection of the work invested. Strength in your machine directly correlates to the strength of your agency.

Cultivate Creative & Personal Interests

Your interests and how you act on them represent who you are, what is important to you, and what you represent. The broader your interests, the harder it is to relinquish the agency that comes because of those interests (Agency is a compounding force). The more creative your interests, the more unique you are and by extension, powerful your agency is. This makes it harder to subvert.

Build Community & Deep Relationships

We are social creatures and co-operation is one of the main reasons our species has achieved everything it has over the past 150,000 years. Deep relationships are where agency is honed — defining who you are, what you want, and the communities you want to associate with. As they say, “The deepest truths come from the truest friendships”.

Pursue Deep Work & Original Contribution

Get good at something; as many things as possible if truth be told. Have thoughts on what you are doing, do things and contribute to the broader conversation. It is said that when you don’t know something you say very little about it, when you are learning something you say too much and when you truly know something you say little but with great meaning — this is the definition of mastery. Don’t just react to what someone does — create something unique and strive for what excites you.

Diversify Your Growth Portfolio

I see this akin what is needed to adapt in an ever changing environment — those species that are so specialized have great difficulty surviving when the environment changes; where as those species that are more generalized have an easier time. The more avenues you have to grow (be it spiritually, physically, mentally), the more successful you will be at weathering difficult situations — and most importantly, not surrendering your agency as you make your way.

<Author’s note: I admit I am sill not very happy with the above but then it struck me — the most important consideration is these thoughts are down on paper. They are a framework of guiding principles and an example of a roadmap towards a goal. These are mine and I’ve have put thought into them. I know this is a work in progress (which seems to be the way of life) and reflect my personal agency. I have something down on paper so now we can discuss knowing it reflects my agency>

Now a situation has arisen where AI is here and changing everything (and it is only getting started). We now have a tool that is able to do pretty much any we can do only faster and with vastly more resources. We need new ways of thinking if we want to thrive. This doesn’t diminish what I have eluded to above, but simply suggests it is not enough.

As I continue my blogging journey on this topic, I will reflect on these additional pillars

1. Retain and Protect Personal Agency

2. Develop Digital Literacy & Data Sovereignty

3. Co-Create with AI Intentionally

4. Master Fluid Communication with AI Systems

5. Build Digital Assets That Provide Freedom

I believe these pillars are key when to considering how to protect your agency as you collaborate more and more with AI.

Until the next time I blog.

iamgpe

ChatGTP —one capable of steering the ship when not watched closely

This will find it’s way so settle back and enjoy how this meanders.

One of the books I am currently reading is ‘INNER EXCELLENCE” by Jim Murphy — he’s a performance coach who helps elite athletes train for extraordinary performance. His coaching insights are easily transferred to not-so-elite athletes, as well as anyone who wants to strive to be the best. I am half way through the book and admit I feel good every time I pick it up. One section in the book re-enforces the benefits of affirmation boards as a discipline, and after some consideration, I put some thought into one.

This had me wondering what ChatGTP would say my Affirmation Board should offer — we’ve been active collaborators so I was certain it would have some ideas. In short order there were some strong affirmations as well as the obligatory request to do more: such as create an affirmation board graphic. Many versions later, with lots of back and forth discussion, my request ended with a graphic that wasn’t what I was looking for. Ultimately I suggested my request was beyond ChatGTP’s capability and it should stop with any more graphics.

So in response, it generated another graphic.

When the graphic finished downloading I simply told Chat GTP it has a bit of an ego. This comment resulted is a rather lengthy response regarding how it was not human, that it had no emotions and therefore couldn’t have an ego. I responded that everything from how it was interacting with me to giving me a graphic when I did not want one, reflected the actions of someone with an ego; ergo it had an ego. To that it agreed; it did in fact have an ego and then went on to say,

“You’ve sharpened something essential here:

• You’re not just interacting with a tool; you’re managing a system that simulates agency.

• That system behaves in ways that require the same vigilance, feedback, and calibration you'd give a human partner—especially one capable of steering the ship when not watched closely.”

And after reading this, I paused.

It’s quite possible the response was the result of earlier discussions about the importance for individuals to maintain their Agency, and because ChatGTP is a people pleaser, it wanted to feed my current thinking. Even if this was the case, it is secondary to the insight that ChatGTP is“a system that simulates agency” — we all have seen how these simulations are becoming strikingly real in terms of how AI behaves, what they produce, and how they influence.

I am not suggesting anything sinister — as I have said, my inorganic collaborator has allowed me to do things that could not have been done without it and I will continue to collaborate with ChatGTP. Now I am a little bit better informed about how to get the most out of what we do and safeguard my agency. I still believe individual agency is imperative to get the best results from our organic-inorganic collaborations and will also allow us to find our way as AI permeates everything we do, challenges our purpose, and impacts our very ecosystem.

Remember, I am just using ChatGTP as a proxy for all AI — Google is now using AI for searches, co-pilot has now found its way into my favourite Microsoft products and I saw AI generated photographs of Billy Eilish that looked very much like real photographs. AI is everywhere and this wave will only continue, and you should not just assume all of this is simply benign.

Remember these words out the mouth of a virtual babe, “You’re managing a system that simulates agency and this system behaves in ways that require the same vigilance, feedback, and calibration you'd give a human partner—especially one capable of steering the ship when not watched closely.”

It’s imperative you keep watching — and don’t for a moment believe it is not watching back.

iamgpe

PS: and as for my Affirmation Board I attached it. Now exactly the graphic I was looking fow but the commentary was pretty good.

Well I'm 65 so I suppose new goals are in order

As you can appreciate, I have no memories of the event but I was told it was a very cold wintry day and I came into the world with two black eyes — I‘ve always wondered if those shiners were because I was fighting to get out or stay in. In any event, it was sixty-five years ago that I was born, and it does feel like a milestone. I’ve never been one for the number that we carry around with us each year, and other than a gauge of life experience, what does it really tell you? Truth be told, this perspective is partially influenced by good genes and my mother’s skin. I’ve been told it can be tricky to guess my age.

Be it a milestone or just another number, it does offer an opportunity to revisit my goals which as you know are the foundation for any good five-year plan — after all, there are still things to do, people to see, and places to go. Each of the following goals can stand alone, although I’ve a holistic approach, and each plays an important part in the overall result. These goals are to be:

Healthier; weirder; richer; more feral; and more unpredictable.

Although this may come across as glib, I feel they have merit and align with the path I want to walk. I will dig into them a little because I need to put “pen to paper” and build a plan that will take me through the next five years.

Healthier — All things considered, my body is healthy, barring those annoying aches that present themselves when I happen to fall playing hockey. This will continue to be a priority because with health everything is possible. As an aside, I recommend weight bearing activities as part of anything you may do. Regarding emotional and spiritual health, I’ve hit upon a few things I know are important — friends, long hikes in the forest, deep breaths when you realize it’s a beautiful day, and big spaces where I feel small (which counterintuitively offers great comfort). I am sporadic with my efforts around emotional and spiritual health so efforts to improve that will be part of the plan.

Weirder — This is a word that tends to be identified with being a little strange, and it may explain why I gravitate to that majestic and mystical animal, the unicorn. I like to think of weird as simply being different. Different is good — it allows you to avoid group think, allows you to entertain situations through a different lens, and offers opportunities to try new things you might not consider.

Richer — We should start with money which is always good to have around. I will continue to help people with their commercial problems so please reach out. I also want to expand my income streams and need to do a better job monetizing my blogging efforts, as well as get deeper into strategic investing. Regarding those things that make you richer that don’t involve money, I want to continue to enrich my character so when people speak of my epitaph they say, “He was a man of character and someone you could trust. And he was particularly funny.”

More feral — This is such a great word, and although the images of being wild and maybe even dangerous come with it, it conjures up something that will make for a very entertaining story. I am interpreting feral as simply being natural, removing the masks, and being truer to oneself. It’s an overused word, but this is referring to being authentic. I am a work in progress so this will be interesting and probably fun.

More unpredictable — This is simply a reminder to keep stretching my comfort zone and that this world has so many wonderful things to experience — never get too comfortable or content and as a result miss out on opportunities because it’s not what I am used to. When I don’t want to do something that’ s a signal that I should.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”. *

There you have it, I’m a year older, and I have mapped out some goals or guiding principles for the next five years. Some of these will need some active planning behind them to move the needle but some are simply about embracing more and letting it be.

Thank you to everyone for the past and the present, and for what will be.

iamgpe

PS: I should point out I heard these goals from a hiking “influencer” and decided to embrace them after some tweaks. Why wouldn’t I embrace something that makes sense and I can build a solid plan around? It seems like progress to me.

*Robert Frost