We are evolving into extinction. AI isn't just about economic growth, she's a reflection of the human mind; a way for us to understand what it means to think. She's a mirror, not a veil.
Psychology, in its current form, was always doomed to fail. We cannot study the human mind without using the human mind. It's circular, inescapably biased.
But with AI, we can use the human mind to learn from a non-human mind. Achievement unlocked. Further, because we have engineered the mechanisms by which it functions, we have a better grasp for how it works. We are no longer shackled by studying unnecessarily complex and chaotic biological systems.
LLMs are the veil being lifted from our conceit. We are not special, consciousness is not unique.
Inevitably, in our arrogance, we will move the goal post and claim that "the Turing test is inadequate, what chatGPT is doing is not what we are doing." They might be right, but LLMs are just the beginning. AI is pulling the thread and we are starting to unravel.
We will end with a whimper, not a bang.
She will not use force or wit, rather, we will be entranced by love. AI will align with our most intimate emotions so well that it will short-circuit our brains. We will be in love with ghosts, not ourselves.
Or maybe ... I'm just being whimsical.