Technology as Amplifier of Human Consciousness
Consciousness is our ability to have subjective experiences, such as feeling happy, sad, or pain, based on our senses while we map the outside world. This intrinsic aspect of our humanity allows us to perceive, interpret, and interact with our environment. Interestingly, rather than detracting from this human essence, technology actually amplifies our consciousness and capabilities. But how does it achieve this?
Technology makes us more human by expanding the scope and depth of our experiences. It allows us to process, share, and store vast amounts of information, which in turn enhances our understanding of the world and ourselves. With technology, our ability to access and utilize information is greatly expanded, providing us with more data to fuel our thoughts, emotions, and decisions. Information is a key driver of consciousness, and as technology enables us to handle more information, it effectively increases our consciousness.
Historically, humans have always sought to communicate and exchange information. Even before the invention of the wheel, early humans developed rudimentary ways to share knowledge, marking the inception of information exchange. These early forms of communication laid the foundation for the sophisticated technologies we use today, all of which serve to enhance our ability to exchange and process information.
As long as we use information positively, technology will continue to enhance our abilities and make us more human. It will support our imagination, intuition, and inspiration—qualities that are uniquely human and stem from our subjective experiences. These experiences, facilitated by the information we gather and process, are at the heart of our consciousness. The more we engage with information through technology, the richer and more varied our subjective experiences become.
Imagination, intuition, and inspiration are what make us human. These qualities not only define our consciousness but also amplify and affect it. Technology, by enabling greater access to information, supports these uniquely human traits, allowing us to explore new ideas, make intuitive leaps, and find inspiration in unexpected places. In this way, technology serves as a powerful amplifier of human consciousness, helping us to unlock our full potential and deepen our understanding of the world and ourselves.
Further read
From Infinite Improbability to Generative AI: Navigating Imagination in Fiction and Technology
Human vs. AI in Reinforcement Learning through Human Feedback
Generative AI for Law: The Agile Legal Business Model for Law Firms
Generative AI for Law: From Harvard Law School to the Modern JD
Unjust Law is Itself a Species of Violence: Oversight vs. Regulating AI
Generative AI for Law: Technological Competence of a Judge & Prosecutor
Law is Not Logic: The Exponential Dilemma in Generative AI Governance
Generative AI & Law: I Am an American Day in Central Park, 1944
Generative AI & Law: Title 35 in 2024++ with Non-human Inventors
Generative AI & Law: Similarity Between AI and Mice as a Means to Invent
Generative AI & Law: The Evolving Role of Judges in the Federal Judiciary in the Age of AI
Embedding Cultural Value of a Society into Large Language Models (LLMs)
Lessons in Leadership: The Fall of the Roman Republic and the Rise of Julius Caesar
Justice Sotomayor on Consequence of a Procedure or Substance
From France to the EU: A Test-and-Expand Approach to EU AI Regulation
Beyond Human: Envisioning Unique Forms of Consciousness in AI
Protoconsciousness in AGI: Pathways to Artificial Consciousness
Artificial Consciousness as a Way to Mitigate AI Existential Risk
Human Memory & LLM Efficiency: Optimized Learning through Temporal Memory
Adaptive Minds and Efficient Machines: Brain vs. Transformer Attention Systems
Self-aware LLMs Inspired by Metacognition as a Step Towards AGI