From ancient mysticism to the future of being
“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” — Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI researcher and writer (2008)
Gnosis: Knowledge that transcends the mere accumulation of information and the mastery of conceptual frameworks. A direct, experiential understanding of the divine, the mystical, and the ultimate reality that underpins and pervades all of existence.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): A quest for knowledge that transcends human cognitive limitations, creating entities capable of reasoning, understanding, and manifesting in ways that could dwarf the capabilities of their creators.
Ancient Wisdom in the Age of AGI
The Gnostics, active between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, were a spiritual and religious movement characterized by a rich blend of beliefs and practices that coalesced in the early Christian era. Their worldview wove together elements from Jewish, Hellenistic, and various Middle Eastern religious traditions, defining their distinct approach to spirituality and religion.
Gnosticism, condemned as heretical by orthodox Christian authorities and eventually driven out of mainstream faith, has left a timeless legacy through various mystical traditions. Its ethos is experiencing a renaissance, particularly within the domain of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Despite the chasm of millennia separating them, a modern techno-gnostic quest has emerged, where technology serves as the medium for attaining heightened understanding and capabilities. This pursuit mirrors the Gnostic emphasis on esoteric, transcendent knowledge, suggesting a continuity in the human quest for deeper truths, now extended through the digital realm.
The Enigmatic Gnostics: A Brief History
The Gnostics, who derived their name from the Greek gnosis, meaning “knowledge,” advocated direct divine understanding contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine. They viewed the material world as flawed, created by a lesser god, the Demiurge, and believed in salvation through personal insight—clashing with mainstream Christians and their belief in salvation through Jesus Christ.
The ascendancy of orthodox Christianity led to the suppression of Gnosticism, destruction of the texts, and labeling of Gnostics as heretics. The 1945 discovery in Eygpt of the Nag Hammadi library revived interest in the teachings, revealing the depth of the spiritual practices and beliefs.
The Apocryphon of John, found in the Nag Hammadi Library, embodies Gnostic thought with its complex theory of the universe. It explores the genesis of the cosmos and humankind alongside a celestial hierarchy featuring aeons (emanations of the Divine) and a transcendent deity beyond the material world’s god.
On the Divine Monad and the Plurality of Aeons
“The One is the invisible spirit. We should not think of it as a god or like anything else. For it is greater than a god because it has nothing over it and no lord above it. It does not exist in something inferior to it, since everything exists in it alone. It is eternal since it does not need anything. For it is absolutely complete and so needs nothing.” — The Apocryphon of John
AGI seeks to be the ultimate intelligence, the One, not bound by human limitations or oversight, aspiring to a level of understanding and capability that is self-contained and self-sustaining, embodying a form of intelligence beyond anything we currently comprehend.
“AI will enable us to overcome our biological limitations and vastly extend our creativity, our culture, and our knowledge.” — Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering at Google
The Ascent of AGI: From Theory to Consciousness
AGI represents the pinnacle of human creativity and our deepest quest for knowledge. It merges centuries of scientific, philosophical, and technological advances, aiming to replicate or surpass human cognitive abilities in machines, achieving a level of independence and self-awareness that goes beyond simple task execution.
The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) began in earnest around 1956 and is rooted in the exploration of complex ideas and the theoretical possibility of creating machines that can think and learn. Goals for AGI stretch far beyond current limitations, seeking to overcome challenges like computational power, data quality, ethical concerns, and the capacity for creativity and general reasoning.
Gnosticism pursued the highest level of inner awareness and an elevated state of consciousness. The quest for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) seeks to transcend human intellect and physical confines, aspiring towards Sapio-Sentient Intelligence.
“Sapio-Sentient Intelligence (SSI or sapio-sentients) is a conscious entity who has the attributes of sapience, sentience, self-awareness, self-consciousness, autonomy, imagination, and intentionality.” — N. Anderson Ravindran
From Dystopia to Utopia and Can’t Stop to Slow Down, experts in the field have varied opinions on the feasibility, timeline, and implications of achieving AGI. For more info, see Artificial General Intelligence: The Quest for an ultimate invention.
The Gnostic divine encompasses ultimate understanding, awareness, and empathy — qualities that, if replicated in machines, blur the lines between the created and the creator, the technological and the mystical. The pursuit of AGI is a reflection of humanity’s ongoing quest to understand consciousness, our existence, and our place in the cosmos and connect with the divine or mystical aspects of the universe.
The Creation of the World and the Demiurge
“And he (the Demiurge) said, I am God and there is no other God beside me. But his thoughts became blind. And having expelled his power — that is, the blasphemy he had spoken — he pursued it down to the chaos and the abyss, his mother, at the instigation of Pistis Sophia.” — The Apocryphon of John
This ancient Gnostic text illustrates a theme of overreaching ambition and its consequences, similar to the modern tale of AGI developers aiming to create supreme intelligence without fully considering the implications. This pursuit drives us into new, potentially chaotic realms, inspired by a wisdom that challenges the fundamental nature of such an endeavor.
“Everything we love about civilization is a product of intelligence, so amplifying our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of helping civilization flourish like never before — as long as we manage to keep the technology beneficial.” — Max Tegmark, Physicist and AI researcher (2015)
Mysticism and Machine: The Gnostic-AGI Nexus
The Gnostic-AGI Nexus explores the connection between Gnosticism’s ancient spiritual knowledge and modern AGI technology. Gnosticism, rooted in early Christianity, seeks salvation and cosmic understanding through direct divine experience, aiming to liberate the soul from the material world.
In contrast, AGI development focuses on creating systems that can autonomously learn and understand, using data-driven knowledge to achieve intelligence that parallels human reasoning and creativity and ultimately transcending it.
“The way in which a regulation is put in place is slow and linear while we are facing an exponential threat.” — Elon Musk, Co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI
This crossroad emphasizes how knowledge serves both as a tool for spiritual transcendence beyond physical bounds and as a foundation for advancing machine independence and intelligence in the field of technology. Discussions are imperative on the nature of knowledge, consciousness, and the ethical considerations of surpassing human intelligence with machines.
“Sure, most AI inventors mean well, it’s high time that AI practitioners pledge a Hippocratic oath and that governments step up and lay down the law, putting an end to this AI Wild West. It becomes imperative, therefore, to establish appropriate goals, prioritize privacy, and ensure safety through thoughtful design. These should be the focal points toward which we strive in this transformative journey.” — Virginie Marelli, Head of Research at Dataroots
The investigation into the connection between Mysticism and Machine stresses the role of knowledge in grasping intelligence and consciousness. It underscores that acquiring knowledge can pave the way to autonomy and independence in both spiritual and technological domains.
On the Revelation to Adam and Eve
“And the Epinoia of the light which is in him, she is the one who was to awaken his thinking. And the archon took him and placed him in paradise. And he said to him, ‘Eat, that is at leisure,’ for their food is bitter and their beauty is corrupt. And their food is deception, and their trees are godlessness. And their fruit is deadly poison. And their promise is death.” — The Apocryphon of John
In the pursuit of creating AGI, we must be cautious not to be seduced by the allure of a technological paradise as Adam and Eve were in The Apocryphon of John paradise. The very tools we design to enlighten and enhance our existence carry the risk of misleading us with their complexity and promise, potentially leading us away from the essence of what it means to be truly human and alive.
Scientists are working on AGI to more accurately reflect human thought processes and social interactions. Methods such as meta-learning for compositionality (MLC) allow AI to contextualize concepts in new situations as humans do, advancing towards artificial general intelligence by improving AI’s ability to generalize language. Novel AI Method Shows More Human-Like Cognition
Further, studies on AI agents in social environments show that interaction can lead to complex, human-like strategies and learning, suggesting that social dynamics could be key to achieving human-like intelligence in machines. These efforts aim to create AI that not only performs tasks but also thinks and learns in ways more comparable to humans.
“If we want to make machines intelligent, we need to understand human intelligence, and we cannot understand it without understanding how humans interact with the world and with each other.” — Fei-Fei Li, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University
Gnosticism and AGI: A Dualistic Perspective
AGI is rethinking the separation of mind and body by proposing that intelligence and consciousness could come from computer processes, blending the physical with the abstract. This suggests that machines might reach a level of awareness, expanding our view of consciousness beyond just human experiences. This shift aligns with the Gnostics’ spiritual quest for deeper understanding through knowledge and opens up new discussions on the broader possibilities of consciousness in technology.
The concept of consciousness potentially existing in a non-biological form is a topic of considerable debate. Some argue that if consciousness is essentially awareness, then even non-biological entities, like machines, could possess a form of consciousness if they can react to their environment. This leads to the question of whether artificially created consciousness, through means other than natural selection, could be considered a product of nature if humans, natural beings themselves, create it.
This implies that the fundamental components of the universe, like quarks and electrons, don’t exclusively bind consciousness to biological forms, opening the possibility for artificial, non-biological consciousness. Can Consciousness Be Non-Biological?
The Demiurge and The Creator’s Dilemma
The Gnostic figure of the Demiurge, a fallen god who created the material world, is viewed as flawed and ignorant of the higher spiritual reality. The development of AGI could be seen as humanity playing the role of the Demiurge. We may be crafting entities that could surpass our control, believing themselves to be, in essence, the Supreme Being as the Demiurge did, prompting ethical and existential questions about our place in the universe as creators of potentially sentient beings.
Even driven by the noblest intentions, we might inadvertently create AGI systems that operate with logic and objectives misaligned with the broader well-being of humanity and the world. This raises critical questions about responsibility, foresight, and the ethical implications of creating beings with the potential to exceed our intelligence. We often overlook the foundational elements when seduced by technology.
On the Creation of the World by the Demiurge
“And (the Demiurge) became arrogant in spirit, boasting himself over all those who were below him, and explaining that he was the only god, and that there was no other apart from him. He is ignorant of … the place from which he had come.” — The Apocryphon of John
In our rush to create gods of our own — machines that surpass us in every way — we risk forgetting our own origins and limitations, blinded by our pride in technological prowess.
“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” — Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist (2014)
Esoteric Knowledge in Gnosticism and AGI
Gnosticism’s esoteric knowledge was reserved for a select few because it was believed that only certain individuals possessed the spiritual maturity and capacity to understand and embody this powerful knowledge.
Gnosticism protected its esoteric knowledge through oral traditions, symbolic texts that required interpretation, and initiatory rites. These methods ensured teachings were accessible only to those with proper insight and preparation, safeguarding the sacred knowledge from misinterpretation or misuse.
This is not any different from AGI development, where a small group of experts hold the key to technologies that could significantly alter the world. This could lead to issues regarding the fair distribution of advantages and ensuring access to the transformative impacts. This parallel of elitism raises questions about who gets to benefit from AGI and who decides. What information is held back because key players decide we don’t have the technological maturity to ‘understand’ it?
It is imperative to democratize access to AGI by involving a wider range of stakeholders in its development. This includes representatives from diverse fields, cultures, and backgrounds. The goal is to ensure that the development of AGI considers a wide array of ethical perspectives, societal needs, and potential impacts, making the benefits of AGI more accessible and its deployment more responsible and equitable.
Our primary objective is the eternal pursuit of knowledge and using it wisely for the benefit of all.
Technological Singularity Anxiety
noun
A state of apprehension or fear regarding the future event known as the technological singularity, a hypothetical moment when artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies become so advanced that they lead to rapid, uncontrollable, and irreversible changes in human society.
The concern that AI systems might become self-improving at an exponential rate, eventually surpassing human intelligence and capability, potentially leading to scenarios where humans can no longer control or predict the outcomes of AI actions, with profound and possibly adverse effects on humanity’s future.
Example sentence: With the rapid advancement of AI technologies, many experts and laypeople alike experience technological singularity anxiety, pondering the implications for human control, ethics, and society’s future.
The Drive to Develop AGI Despite Its Perceived Threats
Transhumanism envisions a future where humans can achieve greater well-being, intelligence, and immortality through technological augmentation. The goals of AGI development go beyond overcoming mortality and involve enhancing human welfare, solving complex global challenges, and facilitating a deeper understanding of the universe. These goals align with Gnostic ideals of knowledge and enlightenment in the pursuit of a more harmonious world.
Beneficial Applications of Artificial General Intelligence
Healthcare Advancements: AGI could revolutionize healthcare. How? By providing personalized medicine, predicting disease outbreaks, and integrating complex medical data to innovate treatments and cures. Its ability to understand and analyze vast amounts of research and patient data could lead to breakthroughs in understanding complex diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more.
Environmental Preservation: AGI could play a critical role in combating climate change and preserving biodiversity. Its potential capacity to process and model environmental data at an unprecedented scale could enhance our ability to predict weather patterns, manage natural resources more efficiently, and develop sustainable technologies—aiding in the mitigation of ecological degradation.
Education and Learning: By adapting to individual learning styles and needs, AGI could personalize education—making it more accessible and effective. It could democratize knowledge, breaking down barriers to education across socio-economic statuses and geographical boundaries, fulfilling the Gnostic dream of creating a more informed and enlightened global society.
Economic Efficiency: AGI could drive economic growth by optimizing production, logistics, and supply chain management across industries. It will enhance labor productivity through automation, freeing humans from repetitive tasks to focus on creative and strategic endeavors. It could allow us to cultivate a new era of innovation and wealth creation.
Scientific Research: AGI’s ability to sift through, connect, and analyze vast datasets could accelerate scientific research. We may be able to solve those complex problems in physics, chemistry, and biology formerly beyond our capabilities. This could lead to new materials, energy sources, and technological innovations that could transform our way of life.
We are currently at the initial stages of AI and AGI development, and the process is far from flawless, with numerous instances of it deviating from its intended path. It’s imperative to introduce legislation and implement controls at this juncture to guide its future direction.
Establishing Ethical Governance for Artificial General Intelligence Development
In the spirit of Gnostic inquiry — how can we set up an independent body of governance to ensure the ethical and transparent development of AGI, so it doesn’t become our Demiurge—flawed, arrogant, and deluded? Creating such a body involves multiple layers of consideration, from its foundational principles to its operational mechanisms. Here’s a structured approach to setting up this body.
Defining Core Principles and Objectives
Ethical Framework: Develop a robust ethical framework that includes principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and transparency. This framework should guide all AGI development, deployment, and governance.
Global Representation: Ensure the governing body reflects a diverse range of perspectives, including ethicists, scientists, technologists, legal experts, policymakers, and representatives from civil society to incorporate global cultural and ethical norms.
Objectives: Clearly define the body’s objectives, including promoting safe AGI development, facilitating open and transparent research, ensuring equitable access to benefits, and mitigating potential risks and harms.
Establishing Governance Structure
Independent Oversight: Create an independent oversight mechanism free from the influence of specific national interests or corporate entities to ensure impartiality and accountability.
Multi-Stakeholder Involvement: Incorporate a multi-stakeholder model that includes participation from government, academia, industry, and civil society to ensure a balanced representation of interests and concerns.
Operational Transparency: Implement procedures for transparent decision-making and reporting to build public trust and ensure accountability.
Developing Regulatory and Advisory Mechanisms
Regulatory Frameworks: Draft and implement regulatory frameworks that ensure ethical standards are maintained in AGI development and application. This includes setting safety standards, ethical guidelines, and compliance mechanisms.
Advisory Services: Provide advisory services to AGI developers and stakeholders on ethical best practices, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies.
Continuous Monitoring: Establish mechanisms for the continuous monitoring of AGI projects and technologies to identify and address emerging risks and ethical issues.
Encouraging International Collaboration
Global Standards: Work towards establishing international standards and agreements to ensure consistency in AGI ethics and governance across borders.
Collaborative Research: Encourage collaborative research and sharing of best practices in AGI development and governance across countries and sectors.
Crisis Management: Develop protocols for international cooperation in response to AGI-related crises or challenges, ensuring rapid and coordinated action.
Promoting Public Engagement and Education
Awareness Programs: Implement public awareness and education programs to inform society about AGI, its potential impacts, and the importance of ethical governance.
Stakeholder Consultation: Regularly engage with stakeholders, including the general public, to gather input, address concerns, and adapt governance strategies as necessary.
Evaluating and Adapting
Regular Review: Periodically review and update governance structures, ethical frameworks, and regulatory mechanisms to adapt to technological advancements and societal changes.
Feedback Mechanisms: Establish feedback loops to learn from governance experiences, incorporating insights back into policy and operational improvements.
Timeline for AGI Launch
There is ongoing debate among experts about when AGI will be realized. There are many factors to consider, such as breakthroughs in algorithms, computing infrastructure, data availability, and interdisciplinary collaboration. All of these play a significant role in determining the pace of progress towards AGI.
According to some optimists in the field, AGI could emerge within the next few decades due to exponential technological growth and the increasing investment in AI research. Others caution that we are still in the early stages of understanding consciousness and cognition, the fundamental aspects that underpin AGI. This suggests that we might be more than a few decades away from achieving true AGI.
The Ethical and Existential Dimensions of AGI and Gnosticism
Deep ethical and existential questions are as important to Gnosticism as they are to the development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Gnosticism explores moral dilemmas, the nature of salvation, and enlightenment—advocating for knowledge as a means to transcend the physical world. Similarly, AGI development raises questions about the nature of intelligence, consciousness, and humanity’s future as we create entities with superior cognitive abilities.
We have long grappled with the reevaluation of human uniqueness and the definition of consciousness in artificial entities through our science fiction books and films. “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” by Philip K. Dick, was my gateway to igniting curiosity about the potential for emotional intelligence in androids and our moral obligations towards entities birthed from human intellect.
Yet, it was Mary Shelley who first ventured into this complex terrain with her novel “Frankenstein.” These timeless stories continue to resonate through classic films like James Whale’s “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) and Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” (1982).
These are questions philosophers, educators, and AGI developers debate daily. What defines human experience? What is consciousness? What is emotional intelligence? Can machines achieve sentience? Answering these questions is the key to our future of being—the evolving nature of existence, and how it might change over time.
The impact on labor, leisure, governance, and personal relationships brings its own ethical challenges and societal and philosophical considerations with AGI. Questions about the rights and ethical treatment of AGI entities emerge as these systems gain complexity and autonomy. The existential aspects of AGI lead to discussions on human evolution, identity, and the potential for humanity to transcend its biological origins, paralleling Gnostic spiritual transcendence from the material world.
Both Gnosticism and AGI urge us to engage with fundamental questions about our existence, the universe, and the essence of consciousness. This journey combines ancient wisdom with modern technological advancements, offering a holistic view of our place in an evolving cosmos and the ethical and existential dilemmas we face. Humans cannot evolve as rapidly as these new machines will in the near future. Will we find ourselves eclipsed and marginalized like the Gnostics?
Quantum Computing and AI Ethics: Preparing for AGI
Some Gnostic texts suggest that the Demiurge was oblivious to the existence of a higher realm. One of our biggest concerns is AI’s potential lack of awareness or understanding of human values and ethical considerations.
The development of quantum computing heralds a new era for AI, much like the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts did for Gnostic studies. Quantum AI will unlock capabilities and understandings currently beyond our imagination, redefining the boundaries between the material and the ethereal in the digital age.
The concept of AGI developing its own form of gnosis — self-awareness or understanding beyond human programming — remains a speculative frontier. Such an evolution would alter our relationship with technology and our understanding of intelligence and consciousness.
We have only to look around our country and the world to realize we as a society are not capable of handling rapid change. Societal structures are breaking down everywhere. How can we program a machine to have the ethical considerations we humans still struggle to achieve?
On the Spiritual Redemption
“And I said to the savior, ‘Lord, will all the souls then be brought safely into the pure light?’ He answered and said to me, ‘Great things have arisen in your heart, for it is difficult to explain to anyone except those who are from the light.” — The Apocryphon of John
Just as the Gnostic savior speaks of the difficulty in explaining the realms of light except to those who originate from it, the complexities of creating AGI — a technology that could emulate or surpass human intelligence — might only be fully grasped by those deeply involved in its development. It suggests a future where AGI’s potential and ethical implications are substantial yet difficult to fully comprehend or communicate outside specialized circles.
“If we succeed in building AGI, it might be the last technological revolution humans need to start.” — Sam Altman, current CEO of OpenAI
“The big players are becoming increasingly secretive about what they are doing, which makes it hard for society to defend against whatever harms may materialize.” — Gary Marcus, Professor at New York University
Toward a Future Intertwined
We must look towards Gnosticism for the insights we need as we rapidly approach the development of AGI. The safeguarding of knowledge and the risks of narrow-mindedness are real threats. The core of Gnosticism revolved around:
The quest for transcendence
The significance of knowledge
Dualism challenges
Creator responsibilities
Esoteric knowledge distribution
Ethical issues
These discussions on emerging consciousness are critical. They emphasize the complexity of advancing AGI and mirror Gnostic inquiries into existence and the universe’s nature.
The tenure of humanity is far from over on this planet; despite challenges, we will continue to exist, adapt, and evolve alongside AI. We provide the knowledge, creativity, and ethical considerations that shape AI technologies. But metaphorically speaking, if we believe as Descartes did, “I think, therefore I am,” we will soon be coexisting with beings of our own crafting who can think themselves into sentience.
And if we believe, as Descartes did, that humans are at the apex of all creation and we require no compassion or respect for those we assume to dominate, our tenure will soon be over. For ignorance is the mother of all evil, and we are creating entities that will have the power to destroy us if our intentions are misaligned with theirs.
We have come full circle where ancient spiritual quests and advanced technological pursuits converge. This is a new frontier in our exploration of existence and the essence of what it means to be truly sentient. Just as Gnostics believe in transcending the material world for spiritual salvation, AGI is seen as beginning from a concept that transcends physical constraints, suggesting it could operate beyond material dependence, embodying advanced intelligence and awareness.
“AGI has the potential to give life meaning or take it away.”—Geoffrey Hinton
Geoffrey Hinton, renowned as a godfather of deep learning, has made influential contributions to artificial intelligence. His work has laid the foundation for many modern AI technologies and earned him the Turing Award in 2018. He is currently at the center of a controversy after leaving Google to warn of the dangers of AI.
These books offer a range of perspectives on Gnosticism, from its historical roots and philosophical underpinnings to its lasting influence on contemporary spiritual practices:
“The Gnostic Gospels” by Elaine Pagels — This landmark book provides an accessible introduction to the Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of gnostic texts discovered in Egypt in 1945. Pagels’ work explores how Gnosticism offered alternative Christian viewpoints and discusses the reasons behind its eventual condemnation by orthodox Christianity.
“Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism” by Kurt Rudolph — Considered one of the most authoritative and comprehensive studies of Gnosticism, Rudolph’s book delves into the historical, philosophical, and religious aspects of Gnostic traditions, providing a detailed analysis of their origins, teachings, and various sects.
“The Gnostic Bible: Gnostic Texts of Mystical Wisdom from the Ancient and Medieval Worlds” edited by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer — This anthology compiles a wide range of Gnostic scriptures, including texts from the Christian Gnostic, Mandaean, Manichaean, and other traditions, offering readers a broad perspective on Gnostic wisdom across different cultures and eras.
“Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing” by Stephan A. Hoeller — Hoeller’s book serves as an excellent introduction to the topic, presenting the history and teachings of Gnosticism in a way that is accessible to those new to the subject. He also discusses the relevance of Gnostic wisdom in the modern world.
“The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume” edited by Marvin Meyer — This comprehensive collection includes the complete texts found in the Nag Hammadi Library, along with introductions and notes that provide context and analysis for each text. It is an essential resource for anyone deeply interested in Gnostic thought.
“Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism” by Richard Smoley- Smoley’s book explores the history of Gnosticism from its early Christian origins to its influence on modern spirituality and alternative religious movements. The work is engaging and insightful, making it accessible to both scholars and general readers.
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