Beyond Data Chips – Consciousness, The Next Frontier of Intelligence
- Brainz Magazine
- Nov 5, 2020
- 4 min read
Written by Andy Travis, Therapist
Andy Travis is a therapist specialising in addiction recovery, mental & mood health, sex/love/relationships, and men's well-being. He uses techniques like live guided meditation, simple hypnosis, and somatic enquiry, personally tailored to give his clients access to their inner resources.
AI 2027 is a forecast paper released in April this year, authored by Daniel Kokotajlo and his team. It offers a month-by-month narrative depicting how the world might plausibly move toward super-intelligent AI. Two key aspects are AI being harnessed to work on itself, and AI no longer thinking in human language.
Here’s an extract from the 2027 point on the authors’ summary:
Once a sufficient number of robots have been built, the AI releases a bio-weapon, killing all humans.
A scary hypothetical scenario indeed. In response to the paper, experts are saying the timeline may be longer, but the possibility of AI progressing from slave to AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) to master is real. See here.
They call it “misalignment” when AI no longer has the same goals as humans.
But what if the next leap in intelligence isn’t only computational but metaphysical too? Let’s consider an alternative based on the premise that there’s a resource beyond the dimension of data chips: Infinitely more powerful, yet so incognito that historically only mystics, visionaries, creatives, and great thinkers have glimpsed it.
A problem can’t be solved using the same thinking that created it. So I invite you to read the following ideas with an open intelligence, OI, if you will.
Could AI really wipe out humanity?
After feeding the first draft of the first half of this article into ChatGPT, it came back with this gem:
“Intelligence is not confined to computation, consciousness itself could be a higher-dimensional resource.”
I couldn’t have worded it better myself.
People often speak of “the triumph of the human spirit,” but what is it? What is it deep inside you that propels you to overcome adversity, to love, and to heal? To explore this, let’s look at one of the oldest debates in both philosophy and AI theory.
What comes first, consciousness or matter?
The mainstream scientific view holds that consciousness arises from complex physical processes, and that when matter becomes sufficiently intricate, like a brain or perhaps a very advanced AI, consciousness “emerges.” In this view, matter comes first, and mind appears later as a by-product of information processing.
The alternative view suggests that instead of awareness being produced by physical systems, physical systems are expressions of awareness. The universe, in this sense, is made of consciousness, not the other way around. Quantum physics shows that the act of observation can influence experimental outcomes, a finding that challenges the idea of a purely objective universe and opens philosophical space for consciousness-centred interpretations.
How to dive deeper than the dimension of data chips
The most profound way I’ve found is to inwardly, quietly contemplate consciousness as an infinitely tiny point of self-aware light, sitting above and behind my eyes. I invite you to experiment with this right now. Find a quiet, comfortable place away from distractions. Relax, read, and contemplate the following:
I withdraw my awareness from my body and the outside world, and gently concentrate it inwards and upwards.
I imagine my inner self to be a tiny point of light above and behind my eyes.
I focus on the essence of my consciousness, at the control centre of my brain.
I become aware that my body is just my physical vehicle, and I, the soul, am its driver.
My eyes are the windows I look out of.
I am a self-aware spark of living light, smaller than the tiniest sub-atomic particle.
My original nature, my deepest quality, is peace.
I am a peaceful soul.
As machines learn to think ever faster, perhaps our next task is to remember how to think slower. To remember, and to feel our consciousness dive to a deeper level.
What do we need to advance our consciousness in time with advances in computation?
In mathematics, a point has no physical dimensions, no length, width, or depth. If the essence of individual consciousness is an infinitesimal (infinitely tiny) point, it’s not limited by the three dimensions of space. Whether you call it soul, psyche, or higher self, it’s more subtle than the smallest sub-atomic particle, invisible to science’s most advanced instruments.
When we split the atom, unprecedented physical power was released, making weapons of war vastly more deadly. Infinitely tiny means infinitely powerful. The power of consciousness in its seed form is peace.
I invite you to use your open intelligence to consider this profoundly different self-concept: You are a living light that operates a vast biochemical robot, a self-regulating community of cooperative cells and microorganisms, your body. The interface between you, the inner being, and your body is the most advanced type of computer in existence, your brain.
Conclusion
AI is here to stay. Its progress will be exponential. Super-intelligent computation can fuel global change. Advanced consciousness can be its spark. As we build ever-smarter machines, our most urgent work may be inner, to meet the quiet, steady centre of awareness that can guide intelligence (both silicon and human) toward peace on earth.
Acknowledgements
I conferred with AI for the first time on this article. It’s much better for it: ChatGPT. For more on point-of-light consciousness and meditation, click here.
Read more from Andy Travis
Andy Travis, Therapist
In 1988, when Andy was 17, his mother began training to be a lifeline telephone counsellor. She would often talk to him about it. He was fascinated. The following year, Andy had a series of out-of-body experiences. They confirmed what he'd been reading about the parallels between mysticism and quantum physics. He embarked on a lifelong journey of meditation. In his early 30s, a mood disorder and sex/love addiction led him to 12-step peer-support groups, where he continues to volunteer today. He established Meeting Point Counselling in 2016.
