AI’s Intrusion into Perfection
‘Hinduism is not a religion or a rule book. I see it more as system of life or a direction to find one's purpose on the highest scale.’
Raja Kanuri
Raja Kanuri is a Ph.D candidate in Theology and Religion at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who has just joined AI and Faith as an Advisor. He comes out of high-tech, having worked in customer service and training at several technology companies in Hyderabad, India after earning a B.S. degree at Osmania University and a diploma in Communicative English from Central Hyderabad University.
Hinduism also is the lens through which Raja is exploring AI and spirituality. Broadly interested in how AI will impact humanity in "positive, negative, or neutral ways," Raja specifically is exploring the relationship between the higher eternal self and the material self and the way AI mediates between the two.
"Like many objects with which we have been interacting in our human history, AI systems will be just another object of interaction but with a higher or deeper level of influence on the path of spirituality," he says.
AI may disrupt our spirituality in the same way caffeine interferes with good yogic practice, making the brain so active it becomes impossible to sit or be stable for a long time in a specific position.
"AI-powered tools have an effect not just at the external physical level, but also at a psychological and deeper level that in turn influences our choices, the paths we choose, and the nature of difficulties confront along the way. What will AI's impact be and how deep? And how will affect Hinduism's cyclic worldview about coming back to life?
"This much we know for sure: The owner of the coffee shop has no interest in knowing how the coffee will affect us," Raja notes.
In other words, these are matters we must figure out on our own and the technologists and policymakers need to concern themselves with. As part of his inquiry, Raja is studying his own interactions with and responses to AI.
Responses to AI
Facebook certainly represents one form of AI. To make a point, Raja describes recently having a great workout only to be challenged by a Facebook to do more. Raja experienced it as an intrusion.
"When we choose a spiritual path -- whether prayer, meditation, focusing on your breath or doing a ritual -- it takes time to overcome the effect of the machines and attain a natural state in which our breath is stable and our bodies are relaxed," Raja says.
"If we're not strong enough to withstand the impact of the machines, we may not be able to pursue a spiritual path. I can see this happening to a lot of people."
"We must remember that the knowledge that's generated by AI is not inherent in the machine itself but in our adoption and use of the information we gain," he adds. "Information only becomes knowledge when we bring to it our own perceptions through introspection."
"We must not view AI as a substitute for genuine knowledge. We must embrace critical thinking and discernment and be mindful of AI's limitations and potential risks.
"We love the convenience of carrying a single device that serves multiple purposes, but we must consider the threats posed by surveillance and tracking. Plus the environmental consequences associated with mining all of the minerals and metals that are associated with manufacturing all of our devices. Plus the impact of all of these electromagnetic signals on our ecosystem.
"We need a broader perspective that takes into account environmental sustainability, personal well-being, and factors beyond AI's utility and commercial benefits."
Perfection Through Practice
In Hindu traditions, moksha refers to a state of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation and release, and is the and utmost aim of human life. Three other aims are:
dharma, referring to a virtuous, proper and moral life;
artha, referring to material prosperity, income security, and making a living, and,
kama, referring to pleasure, sensuality and emotional fulfillment.
Together in Hinduism, these four concepts are combined in Chaturdvidha Purushartha.
I'm especially interested in the transformation of the human I see AI effecting via the brain/computer interface, and so was interested Raja's thoughts on the potential of AI to "upgrade" our species, so to speak.
"The purpose of human life is to strive for personal perfection through practice," he noted. "If there's a tool that's going to enable us to perform a task faster or better, why shouldn't we use it? That's a very important question for us to reflect on.
"From my own life and also from what I've learned thus far in my research, I think the whole purpose of human life is to attain a certain state of perfection, to strive for a perfect version of one's self through practice. And that practice may be performed in various ways. One of those ways is to perform a job or to do work.”
The Example of Baking
"Let us take the example of baking, as monotonous as that may sound. Baking is something people do every day. It's the same dough, it's the same yeast. It's the same oven. It's the same shape. Etc.
"When you perform the task of baking over a period of time, you learn the intricacies of baking -- how your dough behaves on a cold day versus a warm day. But you're also observing yourself through this entire process. You're observing how your mood is affecting the baking process and your relationship with it. In the Hindu tradition, we strive to act or work with no expectation of the result but only towards the goal of perfection.
"So, when we say that using an automated tool to make the baking process easier, faster, and better is beneficial, we need to consider what terms we mean by 'beneficial.' Is it about the quantity and profit we make? Or is about the time we save? These are quantifiable measurements. But are these measurements useful in terms of knowledge of ourselves? I don't know the answer to that question."
"If our tools enable us to save a lot of time, reduce our error rate, or improve our accuracy, that's fantastic. We can call it productive. However, as humanity, we have to consider how we are going to use this surplus time?
“While one can argue that we'll use this time for self-improvement, the practice of spirituality, or engagement in an art that brings pleasure, we also know that an empty mind is the devil's workshop. We often seek paths that offer more pleasure with less amount of time. This raises the question of whether we are aware of the repercussions of creating tools that reduce time and whether we are taking responsibility for that."
