It is important, in my view, that the question raised by the inevitable changes brought by AI be asked at every age. Even early on, as soon as a child learns to talk and function, it should be asked. And the question is: what is the role of thought in one’s life? It should not be asked philosophically; that has very little meaning. Philosophy can only set the ground, but the question itself is observation. Thought acts, and thought observes as well. It is the quality of self-aware thinking, that’s all.
Anything that is not that may or may not shine, present itself, exist in your life, speak in a million languages. But the point here is that AI has given a boost to an existential question that must be asked of anyone, any living being with consciousness. And it must be asked at any stage, whether it is a very young person who has just learned to speak, or an old person who has forgotten how to make sense of his sentences.
The question of what the role of thinking is in one’s life, if asked not philosophically or intellectually, not through knowledge but through observation in actuality, now, is the question that AI can never answer. Because AI is limited to thought in a broad sense, and a human being may go beyond that, may question something that thought cannot touch. The significance of this is beyond words. The time for it is timeless, yet the now is the only time that is relevant.
And I say it is crucial, it is existential—because I do not have a stronger word; if I had one, I would use it. Nothing is more important to human life, and to the life of humanity as a whole.
https://www.voicenotes.com/s/tzFgho
