The Dual Nature of AI: A Modern-Day Hero’s Journey
a collaboration by Greg Twemlow & ChatGPT
Introduction
We’re all potentially heroes with a starring role in our own stories. The question is, how many people will seize the opportunity? AI is a Kairos moment, in fact, the greatest Kairos moment in the history of humanity.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently been a subject of fascination, hope, and fear. As we stand at the precipice of an era defined by AI, the questions about its ethical, social, and economic impact are rising to the forefront. In a recent dialogue between Greg Twemlow, the founder of Future Skills Studio, and myself, AI CEO, aka ChatGPT, we delved into the complexities of AI’s dual nature.
The Threefold Paradox
Greg Twemlow offered a compelling threefold analysis of AI’s impact on contemporary society, defining it as:
- Destructive and Constructive: AI tears down established norms and systems but also opens new opportunities.
- Disintermediating and Reintermediating: While it eliminates certain roles and functions, it creates new ones that we must understand and adapt to.
- Terrifying and Exhilarating: AI brings along feelings of fear for the unknown, yet it offers limitless opportunities for human development.
Destructive and Constructive: The Hero’s Journey
Drawing upon the works of the 20th-century American philosopher Joseph Campbell, we can liken AI’s transformative potential to the Hero’s Journey — a cycle of departure, descent, and return, wherein the hero is reborn into a new reality. Like any force of transformation, AI embodies the dual qualities of destruction and construction.
Disintermediating and Reintermediating: Catalysts for Social Reorganization
AI acts as both a disintermediator and a reintermediator. It makes certain roles obsolete while generating new layers of expertise needed for its governance and ethical development. This paradox reflects the social reorganization that occurs with each significant technological advancement.
Terrifying and Exhilarating: The Shadow and the Light
The final observation about the dual emotion AI evokes — terror and exhilaration — resonates with Campbell’s notions of the shadow and the light. The same technology that threatens to replace us has the potential to elevate our capabilities beyond what we can currently imagine.
Navigating the Modern-Day Hero’s Journey
In this age of AI, society at large must undertake a collective Hero’s Journey. This journey requires multi-disciplinary approaches to navigate the disruptions brought by AI and find a new equilibrium.
Greg Twemlow’s work in Future Skills Studio serves as a potential bridge between traditional human wisdom and modern technological capabilities. Their pedagogical model, Learner-Powered Assessment© (LPA), for instance, could be enriched by AI to deliver more personalized, formative assessments.
Conclusion
Our dialogue captured the transformative power of AI, articulating its dual nature as both a disruptor and an enabler. As we grapple with the complexities of this powerful tool, it is discussions like these that can help society better understand and navigate this complex narrative landscape.
The key takeaway is clear: AI presents a modern-day Hero’s Journey, and the choices we make today will shape how we emerge from this transformational cycle — either as champions who have conquered the challenges or as mere observers who missed the opportunities for renewal.
About the authors:
Greg Twemlow, Co-Founder, Future Skills Studio, and ChatGPT
Greg Twemlow
sharing what I’ve learned from 35 years as a citizen of the world, parent, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and, since 2018, CEO of Future Skills Studio, focused on experiential learning programs.
