Generative AI, words, thinking and knowledge

I've been thinking a lot about words, knowledge, writing and books recently.

With the launch of ChatGPT the world is seeing one outcome of generative AI.

Many people have asked me as a writer and self publishing book coach if I am worried about it. My response, so far, has been no as I am still exploring what it can and can't do, how I might use it, or not.

I've also been reading a terrific book by Simon Winchester titled Knowing what we know. The transmission of knowledge from ancient wisdom to modern magic.

There are so many fantastic examples of the use and abuse of words and knowledge my book is full of Post it tags.

A couple of the most powerful insights he has shared follow.

He [Gutenberg] and his invention bought democracy to the spreading of knowledge. This was a revolutionary change that had immeasurable consequences.

On publishing...something a bit more

What the Gutenberg publishing house was bent on creating during its three years of intense work was a book designed primarily for those who would pay for it. Thus did Gutenberg follow a rule that applies to this day: the books most likely to make money are the books that get published.

Well, if you're talking about traditional publishing, yes I agree.

But I operate in the self publishing space and while some of our clients would like to sell millions of copies of their books MOST are more focused on sharing their knowledge and wisdom and making a positive difference in the lives of those groups of people that they are writing for.

Here at The Book Adviser, we're about taking the time to put finger to keyboard and sharing our knowledge and insights in what is still one of the most powerful mediums available, the humble printed book.

To do this though we have to be aware of those who misuse and abuse words, information and knowledge. Again, to quote from Simon's book.

Truth will win out.. Governments may lie but in time the knowledge that is the currency of truth finds its own level, and sooner or later all will come out, plainly, unvarnished and with the consequences of its telling, just as may be.

We are seeing this here in Australia right now. Scott Morrison's secret acquisition of ministerial power, the Robodebt report, the PWC scandal, Daniel Andrews centralisation of power in his office and more.

Flat out denials, plausible deniability, captured government, the revolving door of the Big 4 accounting firm partners to regulators, governments, consultancies, listed public companies and back again - too many to list here but read some of my previous articles about this.

Words have power, words are power

These two phrases were used by Mohammed Qahtani in his winning speech and the International Toastmasters competition.

I've long believed this, which is one of the reasons I am a corporate historian – those who write the history, make the history – and it's also the main reason I work as a business book coach.

If you are a person who is a role model, executive or leader in your field anything you write could be believed. Anything you write could be taken as 'the truth'.

This is a significant responsibility.

I accept that 'the truth' as I research and write it is not perfect...I will never have ALL the information that's available. I work hard to gather, read, interview, interpret and assess as much information as I can, but I'll never have it all, so what I write is ALWAYS my interpretation of what I have learned. Same goes for the business leaders and executives I work with.

ChatGPT is a useful research tool for me, it's not the only research tool and in fact it's not even the most important one. It's not 'all-seeing and all-knowing'. It's quite limited in many ways and useful in others.

As Matt Jackson shared a few weeks back in a discussion about ChatGPT.

ChatGPT uses the same methods as popular social media...it will give you want you want to hear and read, so it's up to the users 'us' to be deliberate and intentional when we use it. Each one of us has to own the inputs (prompts) and outputs.

This reminded me of the book by Sinan Arai, The Hype Machine. How social media disrupts our elections, our economy and our health – and how we can must adapt. It's a MUST READ if you really want to gain an understanding of just how you are being manipulated by social media engines..and how these can be used for good...but you need to understand how they work to get them to work for great outcomes.

So, carefully choose the words you use when prompting ChatGPT and read the words and information ChatGPT provides with an open mind....and check the sources. It's designed to give you the most pleasing response it can. Like me, it's not all-seeing and all knowing and, unlike me, it doesn't fact check or verify what it's telling you. Rubbish in, rubbish out.

Words, information and knowledge

Just because I can research and write (and publish) doesn't mean the the words I write and help other write and publish automatically share knowledge.

Sharing knowledge through the written or spoken word takes time. Hunter S Thompson might have created the 'stream of consciousness' genre but this style doesn't cut it if you want to articulate your knowledge and insights in a way that your target audiences can understand and action it.

Words without structure, purpose, meaning may convey information but it's unlikely they'll share knowledge and insight.

Knowledge and wisdom

I was driving behind a truck the other day and noticed the numberplate: YThink.

It certainly got me thinking, especially as I've been mulling this article over now for a week or so.

It's a GREAT question. Why think?

Thinking takes effort and sometimes it's uncomfortable. Other times it might be confronting.

But thinking is what we humans can do. AI, Large language learning models, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Bard..Siri, your Dyson robovac...don't think...they are NOT thinking machines. They are processing machines and guess who provides them with the stuff they process? We do...humans.

And, we're in a world where we're being manipulated into NOT thinking or worse still our thinking is being manipulated by others who have agendas/policies/actions they want to push on to us.

AI is 'not out to get us' despite what many would have you think (there's that word again). It's not all TerminatorMax. AI doesn't have 'agency', it doesn't read, think, experience or understand emotions (as much as I LOVE the movie Ai). It's processing information it's hoovered up and giving you what you've asked it to.

I was listening to Dr Norman Lewis the other day and what he shared made so much sense to me, and a recent article he wrote is worth reading (click on his name for the link). Here's a short version.

The worship of AI is a mark of the low esteem in which human consciousness and agency are held today. The increasing obsession with artificial intelligence suggests a lack of faith in real human intelligence.

This misanthropy makes little sense. If humans really are so unintelligent, then AI can hardly be a solution. After all, AI only exists in the first place thanks to human intelligence and creativity.

It is important to dispel the myth that ChatGPT actually has ‘intelligence’. It is only a computer programme. It generates responses to human prompts based on training data and parameters determined by the AI engineers who built it. It does not understand the information it presents.?

He goes on to say that 'There is no ‘thought’ taking place when ChatGPT responds to questions. Nor does it ‘read’ the text it spouts forth so impressively. This is a mechanical process that combines and orders words according to a human-made algorithm.' It's regurgitating old information.

So, don't confuse information for knowledge, or knowledge for wisdom.

AI is really the latest in a long line of revolutionary innovations that can spread information, stories, insights and knowledge. Just like books, the internet, generative AI is really just the latest innovation in the power of words.

But be careful. The spread and accessibility of words is no guarantee that knowledge, insight, wisdom, empathy, humility, emotion and agency will spring forth.

After all, look at what 'we humans' are doing to each other all around the world today and to our planet.

Words have power. They can be used for good/great things or to subjugate, terrorise, deny and kill, no matter how you 'find them'.

Words have power - understand your responsibility to use them with care.

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