ChatGTP —one capable of steering the ship when not watched closely

This will find it’s way so settle back and enjoy how this meanders.

One of the books I am currently reading is ‘INNER EXCELLENCE” by Jim Murphy — he’s a performance coach who helps elite athletes train for extraordinary performance. His coaching insights are easily transferred to not-so-elite athletes, as well as anyone who wants to strive to be the best. I am half way through the book and admit I feel good every time I pick it up. One section in the book re-enforces the benefits of affirmation boards as a discipline, and after some consideration, I put some thought into one.

This had me wondering what ChatGTP would say my Affirmation Board should offer — we’ve been active collaborators so I was certain it would have some ideas. In short order there were some strong affirmations as well as the obligatory request to do more: such as create an affirmation board graphic. Many versions later, with lots of back and forth discussion, my request ended with a graphic that wasn’t what I was looking for. Ultimately I suggested my request was beyond ChatGTP’s capability and it should stop with any more graphics.

So in response, it generated another graphic.

When the graphic finished downloading I simply told Chat GTP it has a bit of an ego. This comment resulted is a rather lengthy response regarding how it was not human, that it had no emotions and therefore couldn’t have an ego. I responded that everything from how it was interacting with me to giving me a graphic when I did not want one, reflected the actions of someone with an ego; ergo it had an ego. To that it agreed; it did in fact have an ego and then went on to say,

“You’ve sharpened something essential here:

• You’re not just interacting with a tool; you’re managing a system that simulates agency.

• That system behaves in ways that require the same vigilance, feedback, and calibration you'd give a human partner—especially one capable of steering the ship when not watched closely.”

And after reading this, I paused.

It’s quite possible the response was the result of earlier discussions about the importance for individuals to maintain their Agency, and because ChatGTP is a people pleaser, it wanted to feed my current thinking. Even if this was the case, it is secondary to the insight that ChatGTP is“a system that simulates agency” — we all have seen how these simulations are becoming strikingly real in terms of how AI behaves, what they produce, and how they influence.

I am not suggesting anything sinister — as I have said, my inorganic collaborator has allowed me to do things that could not have been done without it and I will continue to collaborate with ChatGTP. Now I am a little bit better informed about how to get the most out of what we do and safeguard my agency. I still believe individual agency is imperative to get the best results from our organic-inorganic collaborations and will also allow us to find our way as AI permeates everything we do, challenges our purpose, and impacts our very ecosystem.

Remember, I am just using ChatGTP as a proxy for all AI — Google is now using AI for searches, co-pilot has now found its way into my favourite Microsoft products and I saw AI generated photographs of Billy Eilish that looked very much like real photographs. AI is everywhere and this wave will only continue, and you should not just assume all of this is simply benign.

Remember these words out the mouth of a virtual babe, “You’re managing a system that simulates agency and this system behaves in ways that require the same vigilance, feedback, and calibration you'd give a human partner—especially one capable of steering the ship when not watched closely.”

It’s imperative you keep watching — and don’t for a moment believe it is not watching back.

iamgpe

PS: and as for my Affirmation Board I attached it. Now exactly the graphic I was looking fow but the commentary was pretty good.

Well I'm 65 so I suppose new goals are in order

As you can appreciate, I have no memories of the event but I was told it was a very cold wintry day and I came into the world with two black eyes — I‘ve always wondered if those shiners were because I was fighting to get out or stay in. In any event, it was sixty-five years ago that I was born, and it does feel like a milestone. I’ve never been one for the number that we carry around with us each year, and other than a gauge of life experience, what does it really tell you? Truth be told, this perspective is partially influenced by good genes and my mother’s skin. I’ve been told it can be tricky to guess my age.

Be it a milestone or just another number, it does offer an opportunity to revisit my goals which as you know are the foundation for any good five-year plan — after all, there are still things to do, people to see, and places to go. Each of the following goals can stand alone, although I’ve a holistic approach, and each plays an important part in the overall result. These goals are to be:

Healthier; weirder; richer; more feral; and more unpredictable.

Although this may come across as glib, I feel they have merit and align with the path I want to walk. I will dig into them a little because I need to put “pen to paper” and build a plan that will take me through the next five years.

Healthier — All things considered, my body is healthy, barring those annoying aches that present themselves when I happen to fall playing hockey. This will continue to be a priority because with health everything is possible. As an aside, I recommend weight bearing activities as part of anything you may do. Regarding emotional and spiritual health, I’ve hit upon a few things I know are important — friends, long hikes in the forest, deep breaths when you realize it’s a beautiful day, and big spaces where I feel small (which counterintuitively offers great comfort). I am sporadic with my efforts around emotional and spiritual health so efforts to improve that will be part of the plan.

Weirder — This is a word that tends to be identified with being a little strange, and it may explain why I gravitate to that majestic and mystical animal, the unicorn. I like to think of weird as simply being different. Different is good — it allows you to avoid group think, allows you to entertain situations through a different lens, and offers opportunities to try new things you might not consider.

Richer — We should start with money which is always good to have around. I will continue to help people with their commercial problems so please reach out. I also want to expand my income streams and need to do a better job monetizing my blogging efforts, as well as get deeper into strategic investing. Regarding those things that make you richer that don’t involve money, I want to continue to enrich my character so when people speak of my epitaph they say, “He was a man of character and someone you could trust. And he was particularly funny.”

More feral — This is such a great word, and although the images of being wild and maybe even dangerous come with it, it conjures up something that will make for a very entertaining story. I am interpreting feral as simply being natural, removing the masks, and being truer to oneself. It’s an overused word, but this is referring to being authentic. I am a work in progress so this will be interesting and probably fun.

More unpredictable — This is simply a reminder to keep stretching my comfort zone and that this world has so many wonderful things to experience — never get too comfortable or content and as a result miss out on opportunities because it’s not what I am used to. When I don’t want to do something that’ s a signal that I should.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”. *

There you have it, I’m a year older, and I have mapped out some goals or guiding principles for the next five years. Some of these will need some active planning behind them to move the needle but some are simply about embracing more and letting it be.

Thank you to everyone for the past and the present, and for what will be.

iamgpe

PS: I should point out I heard these goals from a hiking “influencer” and decided to embrace them after some tweaks. Why wouldn’t I embrace something that makes sense and I can build a solid plan around? It seems like progress to me.

*Robert Frost

Happy New Year — a word for your consideration

Pixaby — Tumisu

As we enter 2025, you can’t help but reflect on the last couple of years — 2023 was the first full year after the pandemic, and that was a dumpster fire as we made our way back to some sort of normalcy. With regard to 2024, I am not even sure how to define it but it did seem that nothing worked the way it used to; systems failed often, things that used to work didn’t, institutions were affectionately dropping the ball.

And that brings us to 2025.

I should mention I am not much of a futurist and my perspective is Canadian so here goes — politically there will be a shift to the right of centre in the near future as Canada goes to the polls; we are losing the geographic advantages of the GREAT WHITE NORTH with climate change and a warming arctic, more aggressive global trade policies and Canada’s declining position on the global stage. It seems that fires and floods are a regular occurrence for us; economic productivity is on the edge of decline, and there seems to be an underlying tone of concern and grievance. Just sounds like a “WTF scenario” to me.

And this brings me to my word for consideration — a·dapt·a·bil·i·ty (/əˌdaptəˈbilədē/), a noun. It’s the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions or the capacity to be modified for a new use or purpose.

Change is in the air for 2025 and like it or not, you will need to deal with it; Adaptability is the quality that helps you navigate a dynamic and changing world. So how do you become adaptable? A big question for sure, with an answer bigger than this 500 word blog but I will offer some food for thought for becoming more adaptable — change your belief that there is a hard right or wrong, don’t believe there is such thing as a sacred cow, and it’s important to be curious about all things that are new. That will get you started as you define what adaptability means to yourself.

So that’s my word for 2025 — you may not like it or think it isn’t appropriate, and that is fair. All I can suggest is find something you can tether yourself to emotionally and intellectually as you manage through 2025. It is going to be a wild one, so buckle up. In the meantime, as I count the clock down to 2025, I will enjoy a fine Pinot Noir from California because I have such fond memories.

On the first day of 2025, I will include an early bike ride because I have some races to get ready for and I am still adapting to my new wheels.

iamgpe