The Limits of AI: Deep Inner Work and Self-Discovery
Recently I have found myself playing with AI. I’m a curious person by nature – so this thing that has been penetrating our spaces felt worth paying some attention to. Here’s what I’ve discovered…
AI can effortlessly summarize content. It can help organize that content and it can help give you guidelines and key points and definitions. It can pull together the information in one or two sentences so you get “the point”. It can write new content from existing content. It can even write new content from existing content from all over the web.
I get that this can be super useful and helpful when you are trying to boil down the steps of how to stop a faucet leak immediately or when you are trying to understand what Shakespeare is trying to say in old English that no-one speaks anymore.
But when it comes to viscerally grokking the essence of the work, it fails miserably short.
When it comes to application of what your intellect can now define, it fails miserably short.
When it comes to implementing deep, meaningful, spiritual work, it fails miserably.
In other words, you cannot outsource the deep, inner work.
You can summarize what Louise LeBrun has written or said in a few clicks – but you won’t get the point nor will you know what to do with it. Why? Because it is not following the built up of the narrative in your body. It is not triggering the places and spaces that need to be triggered for you to get it.
You can have AI talk to each other pretending they’re people having a discussion about what you wrote, but if you listen – if you really listen, they always miss the essence of the point. They know the thesis, they can tell you what was said and by whom and how it related to the other points, but … they just don’t get it.
So if you rely on AI to get it for yourself, you too will miss the essence of the point. You’ll get the words, you’ll put them in a familiar category, and you’ll walk away the same as you entered but now with some fancy words you can use to impress your neighbor.
From where I stand, there is nothing that can replace authentic and meaningful explorations of Self.
There is nothing that can replace curiosity.
There is nothing that can replace conversation for self-discovery.
These pull from a different space than AI – they pull from the unknown.
In a world where we know we are The Field interacting with itself in the infinite game called Life, AI can be a useful tool to help us organize our thoughts or to come up with a potential structure or to help us schedule our calendars. But AI cannot evolve beyond its historical limitations (the known). More than that – what I AM is not AI.
What I AM is far more complex yet simple, paradoxical yet logical, the infinite within the finite.
If you are curious to discover your essence, inhale all the content you want … but if you want to know yourSelf, like – really know yourself, you cannot escape the deep inner work that demands you show up in the company of others who are also showing up.
Here’s the AI summary of what I wrote:
The author reflects on their experimentation with AI, acknowledging its utility in summarizing and organizing information. However, the piece asserts that AI falls short in grasping the deeper essence and application of knowledge, especially in personal and spiritual contexts. It suggests that authentic self-discovery requires inner work, curiosity, and genuine human interaction, elements AI cannot replicate. While AI can aid in structuring thoughts and managing schedules, it cannot replace the profound exploration of self and connection with others necessary for true understanding. The author emphasizes the importance of experiential learning and challenges the notion that AI can substitute for the complex process of personal growth.
Accurate? Yes. Does it touch the essence of the point? Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that for yourself …
So if you’re curious about what is most meaningful to you about being alive, join me for this 3-hour workshop all about values elicitation.
Here’s what you can expect:
To discover "What's important to you about being alive?" through a Values Elicitation process: let’s uncover the network of values that underpin your 'reality'. Through this process, you will discover how the value systems that are often locked in the past hinder your potential. Instead, you will discover your highest order value today. This will help you focus your choices on what matters to you. Ultimately, this is the point of the workshop.
Values as a Guide: In times of accelerating change, knowing oneself and connecting deeply with your internal values becomes increasingly important as a reliable guide.
Values and Logical Levels: Values are identified as one of the Logical Levels of Thinking, specifically the fourth level, related to beliefs and attitudes. This level is influenced by cultural conditioning. Curious how your conditioning has shaped what you believe to be real and true?
Explore the power of choice: The seventh Logical Level, Choice, is positioned between Beliefs/Values/Attitudes and Identity. This is the key – because it shows us how we make choices matters. Do you make choices based on cultural conditioning or your potential? Let’s explore what this means for you given your highest order value.
Like all my work, you cannot get out of it on your own what you will by showing up — the values elicitation process only works in partners.
I look forward to helping you unpack what you’ll discover!
