AI & Immortality
Dedicated to the memory of APAC’s Founder Mr Foo See Luan
By Eliza Quek, Co-Founder, Terrific Mentors International Pte Ltd
Former Chair, Research and First Vice President APAC
You cannot read any journal, newspaper or google without coming across AI in the age of IOT (Internet of Things). Generative AI and the speed of technological innovation require effective paradox management; tempering unthinking progress of technology with debate about the ethics, implications and impact on humanity.
The inventors who stand to make billions are highly persuasive of the advantages that the “tools” can bring to humankind (reflect on the history of arguments for nuclear deterrents and Weapons of Mass Destruction); while naysayers warn of humanity’s destruction when AI technologies which cannot yet make nuanced decisions ethically, are in control.
Watch the plethora of movies about AI and Robots (https://www.theguardian.com/culture) to get a sense of the different worlds artistes conceive. Life often mimics art and the creatives provide a diversity of visions for us to buy into, depending on our disposition. You can choose to go with Utopia, Dystopia or cutting edge science; informative documentaries and docu-dramas or simply enjoy science fiction.
Whichever medium you choose, the questions confronting governments and humanity are in the forefront . Displaced employment, sustained inequality and the great divide between the “know it and have it” Vs “not”, are reflected in the Gini Coefficient, societal uprising, insurgencies, terrorism and crime .
The EU aspires “to be the world’s super regulator in AI” (https://www.economist.com), a brave start, if it is not already too little, too late. We have learnt that legislation alone will not deter advancement of technology that cause harm. Simply look at vaping, drugs and gun control.
AI industry and researchers including “the father of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, formerly of Google, warn of humanity’s extinction, raising a fundamental existential question. (https://edition.cnn.com/).
Paradoxically, AI may offer humanity immortality as cloning and cryogenics are hoped to be able to do so. Anyone who is using the internet leaves digital footprints and if generative AI will eventually provide a digital twin (beyond avatars) we can continue to access the dead. That would be immortality in some form, raising ethical debate particularly in the religious quarter.
Just watch the ENDEVR documentary on Youtube featuring “Living forever through AI : Digital Immortality and the Future” and “Artificial intelligence can make you immortal – but should it?”
- What emotions do the films trigger in you?
- How do they challenge your values? Assumptions? Beliefs? Worldview?
These are questions coaches pose in dealing with existential philosophy.
A quick search on AI coaching yields the diversity of current applications of AI to coaching. A new generation who cannot afford fees associated with coaching will likely turn to quick answers that ChatGPT and its competitors can offer. They will grow up deploying AI coaching tools as the tools improve.
Some examples of current AI coaching tools
• https://app.prowritingaid.co Your personal AI writing coach
• https://www.lingio.com AI course creator
• https://londonspeakerbureau.com Global key note speakers – AI
• https://theai.coach/https://theai.coach/ The AI coach:home
• https://www.rocky.ai AI coaching chatbot for personal development
• https://www.aicoach.com/ AIMY™ – The World’s First Conversational AI Coach
• https://www.edthena.com AiCOACH. Watch. Monitor. Win.
• https://lepaya.com AI Coach | Virtual Coaching for Teachers
So where does this leave the coaching profession? As an optimist, I would venture that human beings are imperfect and long may they be so. Changing behaviours, habits take a long time and the willpower to make and sustain change is difficult and complex. Beyond individuals, coaching teams and senior management in changing practices and cultures – BEHAVIOURS and HABITS will require time and sustained EMOTIONAL support of stakeholders. Reaching the WHOLE person / Leader in Head, Heart and Guts (courage to act) is a complex function where coaches have the competitive advantage (at least for now)
I agree with Anna Gallotti of Forbes Coaches Council that we do not need “super coaches” but even more human coaches” (https://www.forbes.com/sites) and I can assure you that this article is NOT written by AI.
June 30 2023