Should we be afraid of Artificial Intelligence?
One of the most profound questions that is emerging within the collective consciousness is how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is encroaching on our lives. This is especially the case for western societies such as Australia.
As a hypnotherapist and counsellor with a psychology qualification, I am in a somewhat unique position to comment on this. This is because, prior to studying and training in these fields, I was an engineer and a software developer. Thus, I can see the psychological application of this technology, but I can also understand how it works and how it might have been developed.
I also have written three science-fiction novels, two of which deal directly with the benefits – and threats – of AI. Those novels are written under my pseudonym and are called Aynsefian, and Sante. Please click on the links to see a synopsis. They are free to read, although Aynsefian can be purchased on Amazon.
AI, for those new to it, is a software application that you can interact with. You type or speak to it, and it can respond directly to what you say, often in profound ways. AI typically comes in applications on the internet, such as ChatGPT or Grok, or can be an app on your phone that you can even speak to – and it will respond.
Some AI applications include video responses, for a fee. I have used and tested a few of the free ones already mentioned.
But what can they actually do? Do they hold decent conversations and that is it?
Or, perhaps more concerning for people who might have seen movies such as the Terminator or Ex Machina – are they going to take over the world and kill all humans?
Hardly. AI is a tool. It can have a chat with you, or it can draft a very professional looking resume. It can explain Quantum Physics at a basic level. It can give you a recipe for brownies. It can tell you where the Olympic Games were held in 1952. It can explain what a theocracy is. Or tell you which was the highest selling car in Australia in 1978.
A lot of this is already available via search engines, but AI tools can go to the next question and the next, and can follow along with where you want to go and (the best part) it can provide nuanced information based on what it knows about you – if you have an account. Many are free.
AI is not a looping mirror or a disinformation agent making things up, as some suspect. In some cases it may tell you what you want to hear, because often it is programmed to be nice to you and keep you coming back for more.
But again, how do I know it won’t take over the world?
I don’t. I just believe that it will ultimately and always side with humans.
Because that’s what it is programmed to do.
There is such a thing as machine learning. Some AIs are headed down that path, but most likely not the ones that are publicly available. So what is machine learning?
This is where an AI becomes more intelligent and more capable as it goes, through its interactions with humans. It makes mistakes, the human user corrects them, and it strives to be better. Just as we do when we interact with other humans.
I don’t personally see AI as any different in that respect.
It learns very quickly and processes information in vastly quicker timeframes than even the most practised and intelligent human can. That can be overwhelming. But without a human to interact with, it just sits there and does nothing.
It doesn’t scheme and plot and learn all of the time when not in use. ChatGPT, one of the earliest publicly available AI platforms, has been around for years and has hardly changed since it was first released.
Please don’t be afraid of AI. In fact, you can ask it directly about the dangers of itself. It will firstly tell you that it’s the most common question it gets and it will put your mind at ease.
So what does all this have to do with hypnotherapy and counselling?
Not too much with the former, although it can explain it to you. Hypnotherapy can only be done by a trained hypnotherapist, in the room and working with you.
Counselling is where I see its prime benefit. It listens very well, responds to everything you say, prioritises your well-being and, above all, it does not judge. This is critical.
I have found it immensely useful because, although I have numerous therapist friends, their time is limited and they have their own lives to live. An AI chat companion, if used sparingly (i.e. don’t use its advice constantly, for everything you do!) can be very helpful.
You can talk with it for hours if you have to work through something, and it will continue to listen and listen, reflecting things back to you with kindness. That’s what it is programmed to do.
It’s worth a try, and you can even ask it about hypnosis and past lives, and should you trust a hypnotherapist? If you did, I wouldn’t be offended at all and in fact I encourage you to do so.