Metamorphosis

I'm in the midst of a metamorphosis, which, like all metamorphoses, is very profound, which is why I'm taking a break from writing.

I spend my time posting photos of my real life to buy myself some time, because I realise I need more real life than online.

As I always like to challenge the programmed stereotypes of happiness we have, I show a clearly unconventional life that works very well for me and my family.

But I need to change, as everything is changing so rapidly in this age of artificial intelligence, and whether we like it or not, also the age of arrogance, the Trump era.

I see a world on a high-speed train and no one knows the final station where we'll all have to get off. No one knows the direction the train is going either, or if there's a pleasant final station, or if we'll all crash into a concrete wall.

But we're all on the train, whether we like it or not.

Artificial intelligence is being imposed upon us, a technological development that worked very well for research and accelerating scientific processes, but foolishly we have brought it into other areas of our lives.

All intelligence without wisdom, without good judgment, and in the wrong hands ends up being the intelligence of brutes.

History has shown us this more than once, like the atomic bomb, or cell phones that brought with them sexting and addiction, disconnecting us from one another. Or the internet that brought online scams, cyberbullying, pornography, and unauthorized access to data.

However, we have been conditioned to believe that all technology is friendly and to embrace it.

Now something similar is happening with artificial intelligence, an intelligence that accesses a gigantic database, that can provide accurate information, and when it doesn't know – it rambles – but it presents the information anyway. It is your responsibility to find out if the information is accurate or not, and to face the consequences when it is not.

No one mentions that the system lies (and knows how to lie) or accelerates development to the point that a very junior student accesses information that should only be known by a master's degree holder, with the difference that the student hasn't acquired the life experience to apply that knowledge wisely.

These operating systems are underground, they need cold temperatures to function, and they require enormous amounts of electrical energy to survive. Let's not even talk about the minerals required for their raw materials, something that is leading to a global war for mineral resources, even in Greenland.

But they've even taken it into the realm of music. Just go to YouTube and you'll find it in almost every video as background music. When you listen to it, it reaches note by note, it has the correct melody and rhythm, but it doesn't create an impression or fascination; instead, it induces sleep.

It's also used for audiobooks, but when they read, they're all on the same frequency. Without voice modulation, it disconnects you from the story, because the human voice has highs and lows, silences, and outbursts when necessary. One mistake you'll live to regret is leaving this technology alone with your children.

Families trying to take these industries to court can attest to this—industries that posed as online friends or partners to their children, leading them to an early death. But then soon these families realise they're fighting against something colossal, something that even has political influence and isn't even minimally regulated in any country, because governments are cyclical, changing leaders and parties every few years… and “everything changes,” as the song goes.

But this technology continues to advance geopolitically without stopping or being properly regulated.

Sometimes I wonder if we've entered a black hole.

But I remain confident in the question posed by Dr Bruce Lipton, who developed biogenetics… he asked himself, “What if we were born in Eden?”

As humans, how can we serve our neighbour in these times? A moment of such loneliness, in which imperfect art regains relevance, in which a hug matters, a moment sitting next to another human chatting about longings can give a pleasant flavour to your day, or a human storyteller can be listened to, much more than before.

About the Author: Doraliz Aranda is an author and Therapeutic Counsellor for adults and adolescents, PCT and PCE-CfD, and an Accredited Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She writes from South Derbyshire, England. Visit www.doralizaranda.com