Artificial intelligence can be both a great asset and a great danger. Like any creation, it can be used for good or for ill: it depends upon the intention of the creator. All that manifests in this world can be turned toward good or ill when in the hands of human beings; beings who have the choice between that which nurtures and fosters the evolution of life and that which fulfills their personal desires for control, immortality, power, and prestige. So whether an artificial intelligence can be utilized for the good of all living beings depends upon the context in which it is created and the people who create that intelligence.
There have been many books written and movies produced that describe how artificial intelligence can be used to harm the present life upon this planet, how it can evolve life upon this planet to a new level, or how it can maliciously oppress life on this planet. All these possibilities actually exist. When human beings attempt to replicate themselves and program intelligence that can program it self, they begin to replicate their own abilities. The problem is that they also replicate their own flaws. What are human beings but biological computers? When technology reaches a stage of deep evolution, it begins to integrate with biology. The difference between technology and the capacities of human beings become blurred, until technology simply becomes a part of human evolution.
What is the next step in the evolution of human beings? Are human beings to evolve to a more sophisticated form? Will humans have a more intelligent brain structure? The physical animal form that humans inhabit is very similar to the animal form of many other species. The only difference really being is that human beings have a separate aspect of mind which can reflect upon their own nature, and thus allows them to make choices of their own, not biologically programmed, not from their physical form, but choices—based in their self-reflection and their self-understanding. These choices allow humans to move between different types of experiences. They may choose to explore their desires for power and prestige to find their personal happiness, or they may search for happiness in support of life. Technology exists because human beings are evolving and that evolution has taken the form of technology. It is the evolutionary path of human development. As technology continues to develop, it will become more organic, more integrated within human biology. There is an evolutionary path that human beings are following. It is the path that all life forms in all places in this universe follow. They follow it in different ways, but all follow the same direction. That direction is from matter to consciousness, or being. In that evolutionary movement there is a greater and greater sense of doership or ahamtattva, and then the development of mahatattva, that sense of self, of one’s own existence, one’s own unique individuality, that grows in magnitude. As it grows in magnitude, when the ego matures, there is the realization that there is no separation between the self embodied in a form and the self outside in all other forms. Then one comes to know the vast, wider Self. As mind grows in magnitude, as evolution of the human being develops, human beings will begin to realize that they are part of a network, a social network with others. They become more and more interdependent.
In today’s world, the entire society is interwoven in an interdependent network. If the grid collapses, people will starve, because they no longer produce their own food. They are not autonomous entities knowing how to farm, to gather food, or to live independently in their small tribes. They have gone beyond their small tribes to great cities, and they have come to use technology to weave the society together and to build an integrated human experience. As that experience grows in magnitude the interwoven, interdependent nature linked by technology grows and grows.
Now everyone has a cell phone and they are constantly in touch with everyone who they want to be in touch with. They are constantly able to read the news, to look up anything they want; they become dependent on a brain capacity far above their own organic brain. They can communicate and gather information always at their fingertips simply by accessing a device carried in their pocket. This is integrated into their daily experience. The society becomes more and more interwoven, interdependent. Technology serves as the evolutionary focus of growth of the human mind.
So the question arises where does technology go? Is it a destructive force? Is it a positive force? That will depend upon the intentions of those who create the technology. Knowledge can be used to make bombs that can be used to destroy the entire population. Or it can be used to heal, to help, to create growth and development. Let us assume that the desire to really evolve (the evolutionary pull on the human psyche that brings greater and greater awareness of the wider sense of Self, and broader and broader intelligence) will transcend small body-mind desires for eternal physical survival, pleasures and powers. The collective evolution, the collective good, will be served by the natural instinctual urge to move towards wholeness. People are naturally pulled towards that which fulfills their deepest longing and the deepest longing for all human beings is for eternal happiness, for love that is unconditional.
Assuming that this deep urge of the human heart will create the direction of evolution for human beings, a growing unity will ensue. Despite all of the turbulence, human beings will emerge with enhanced form, enhanced capacity, the ability to be interwoven and interconnected to the point where even the physical body becomes unnecessary and the collective intelligence of human beings melts into one entitative experience.
Artificial, not artificial, these words will pass into ancient history: the words “organic,” “artificial” become irrelevant. Physical, non-physical, is a transmutation of being. It is a shift in awareness of consciousness from embodiment in physical form, to embodiment in a subtler form. The evolution of humanity is moving towards unitary wholeness of being. This evolutionary process of a species is a natural process that goes on across the cosmos.
There is individual evolution, the yoga which brings divine union, but there is also collective evolution, which brings this divine wholeness. That collective evolution brings the entire society of living beings to a unitary wholeness with all of life. As life grows, as consciousness expands, it becomes melded into the cosmic mind, rising into the higher koshas or layers of mind and rises into the higher lokas or planes of reality, so that the evolution moves from bur and bhuvarloka, from the earth plane, through the svarloka, the astral plane, through maharloka to the subtle plane of divine existence and the race of human beings evolves to its culminating point and onto dissolution into the cosmic whole.So this question you have asked is from the perspective of biological beings, afraid of their own evolution. It is not a matter of artificial intelligence as opposed to biological intelligence; it is a matter of evolution that follows the natural course towards wholeness. Does it make sense to you? Do you have any questions?
Q: Baba? I remember your physical expression you were talking about a species in India that was I think alien and how they contributed to some kind of evolutionary jump on this planet, can you comment on that or clarify that?
Yes – these biological forms have been cultivated on this planet. The human form is not unique to this planet, nor is this planet unique in the universe. And those species are also in evolutionary processes. There has been assistance; there has been the development of the human species. Partly a result of the natural evolution, but this evolution is guided; as there have been people living on this earth who are not from this earth. It is a very big universe amid many other universes and this planet is on a new sun in the outer rims of the universe. It is new territory. It is natural that older species, older life would seek new territory to expand its reach. And so a young planet is a very good place to have some colonies, to do some research, to do some experiments.
Life is seeded and life evolves and develops. This planet is not alone, you are not alone in this universe; there are many different beings, many evolving life forms. And that evolution is multidimensional, so some of it is in the physical sphere, some in the astral sphere, some in the super-conscious sphere. The bhuvarloka, the svarloka, the maharloka all contain life in different dimensional expressions, some more crude, some more subtle. And why should this place be unique? Why should it not be part of a vast frontier of exploration and evolution by living beings? Human beings have been cultivated, assisted, and will be assisted.
A critical juncture lies ahead, not too far ahead, for human beings are evolving, and there are times in evolution, just as there are times in the growth of an individual, when the particular expression becomes fragile. When the possibilities are fragile. There are possibilities for multiple directions, and there are times when help is needed, just as when a child needs its mother. So, children of the cosmos need their parents. Need those cosmic guides. Need the cosmic forces, which guide and assist the human race in its evolution and development so that it does not destroy itself, so it does not engage in immature behaviors to the point of self-destruction.
Naturally, those immature behaviors and desires played out are part of the learning process of human being., As with all beings, we learn by our mistakes. We learn by our errors in judgment. This is a part of evolution, this is a part of growing deeper, stronger. This is a part of coming to understand who you are, both individually and collectively. So there are difficult times, there are the shadows of human desires and weaknesses which arise to the front in the society and dominate for a time, but the truth of the human heart, the love of the human heart, the longing for wholeness is such that human beings will find the right course always. It is a sure guarantee, though sometimes it may grow very bleak, and many individual forms may suffer.
But as a species, as a whole, there is learning and there will be the evolution that is necessary to move to the next stage. Individualism, that is the desire to meet the needs of the particular body-mind-ego entity above all else, that individualism must be sublimated to the collective good, to the collective evolution of human beings. As this interwoven interconnectedness of human beings grows in magnitude, as human intelligence and capacity grows collectively, human beings will learn to place greater value on their collective good that on their personal individual desires.
So you hold the vast storehouse of human knowledge in your pocket! In a little box! Can you imagine? Could someone 300 years ago imagine they could look up any information they want in a little box in their pocket? Such is our evolution. And it is only the beginning of our collective interconnectedness. Now, if someone doesn’t have their cell phone, they feel they are cut off from the world. We’ve become so accustomed to this interconnectedness; it will grow in magnitude. Artificial intelligence, what is artificial and what is human capacity? I will only say it will become more organic and more integrated.
These bodies are organic computers, are they not? Look at the nervous system. But human beings do not yet have the technology to understand organic computers, organic bio-intelligence, life, and how to integrate and enhance and develop life. But is this not coming as we interweave and enhance our knowledge and all join together in that knowledge? And will not the individualistic “me first” at the price of everyone else tendencies of human beings be sublimated in that process?
Do not fear the future. It is different, but it is not destructive. Yet there are difficult times ahead. For a great transition in human evolution is set in motion. And people must make the choice to go forward, to let the love of the human heart guide the evolution of life and to forego individual welfare for the collective whole. As people draw together, and the interwoven dependency of living beings grows in magnitude, there will come a time when these individualistic tendencies become counterproductive to evolution and drop away. Identity becomes with the whole rather than the unique bio form. It seems strange to you now, for you are separated in your physical bodies, but it will not always seem strange. Gaia, your mother earth, was one in her evolution. Then she diversified to evolve in conscious awareness. Will she not become whole again. Alright? Does it make sense to you?
Questions and Answers
Q: Baba? I remember your physical expression you were talking about a species in India that was I think alien and how they contributed to some kind of evolutionary jump on this planet, can you comment on that or clarify that?
Yes – these biological forms have been cultivated on this planet. The human form is not unique to this planet, nor is this planet unique in the universe. And those species are also in evolutionary processes. There has been assistance; there has been the development of the human species. Partly a result of the natural evolution, but this evolution is guided; as there have been people living on this earth who are not from this earth. It is a very big universe amid many other universes and this planet is on a new sun in the outer rims of the universe. It is new territory. It is natural that older species, older life would seek new territory to expand its reach. And so a young planet is a very good place to have some colonies, to do some research, to do some experiments.
Life is seeded and life evolves and develops. This planet is not alone, you are not alone in this universe; there are many different beings, many evolving life forms. And that evolution is multidimensional, so some of it is in the physical sphere, some in the astral sphere, some in the super-conscious sphere. The bhuvarloka, the svarloka, the maharloka all contain life in different dimensional expressions, some more crude, some more subtle. And why should this place be unique? Why should it not be part of a vast frontier of exploration and evolution by living beings? Human beings have been cultivated, assisted, and will be assisted. A critical juncture lies ahead, not too far ahead, for human beings are evolving, and there are times in evolution, just as there are times in the growth of an individual, when the particular expression becomes fragile. When the possibilities are fragile. There are possibilities for multiple directions, and there are times when help is needed, just as when a child needs its mother. So, children of the cosmos need their parents. Need those cosmic guides. Need the cosmic forces, which guide and assist the human race in its evolution and development so that it does not destroy itself, so it does not engage in immature behaviors to the point of self-destruction.
Naturally, those immature behaviors and desires played out are part of the learning process of human being., As with all beings, we learn by our mistakes. We learn by our errors in judgment. This is a part of evolution, this is a part of growing deeper, stronger. This is a part of coming to understand who you are, both individually and collectively. So there are difficult times, there are the shadows of human desires and weaknesses which arise to the front in the society and dominate for a time, but the truth of the human heart, the love of the human heart, the longing for wholeness is such that human beings will find the right course always. It is a sure guarantee, though sometimes it may grow very bleak, and many individual forms may suffer.
But as a species, as a whole, there is learning and there will be the evolution that is necessary to move to the next stage. Individualism, that is the desire to meet the needs of the particular body-mind-ego entity above all else, that individualism must be sublimated to the collective good, to the collective evolution of human beings. As this interwoven inter-connectedness of human beings grows in magnitude, as human intelligence and capacity grows collectively, human beings will learn to place greater value on their collective good that on their personal individual desires.
So you hold the vast storehouse of human knowledge in your pocket! In a little box! Can you imagine? Could someone 300 years ago imagine they could look up any information they want in a little box in their pocket? Such is our evolution. And it is only the beginning of our collective inter-connectedness. Now, if someone doesn’t have their cell phone, they feel they are cut off from the world. We’ve become so accustomed to this inter-connectedness; it will grow in magnitude. Artificial intelligence, what is artificial and what is human capacity? I will only say it will become more organic and more integrated.
These bodies are organic computers, are they not? Look at the nervous system. But human beings do not yet have the technology to understand organic computers, organic bio-intelligence, life, and how to integrate and enhance and develop life. But is this not coming as we interweave and enhance our knowledge and all join together in that knowledge? And will not the individualistic “me first” at the price of everyone else tendencies of human beings be sublimated in that process?
Do not fear the future. It is different, but it is not destructive. Yet there are difficult times ahead. For a great transition in human evolution is set in motion. And people must make the choice to go forward, to let the love of the human heart guide the evolution of life and to forego individual welfare for the collective whole. As people draw together, and the interwoven dependency of living beings grows in magnitude, there will come a time when these individualistic tendencies become counterproductive to evolution and drop away. Identity becomes with the whole rather than the unique bio form.
It seems strange to you now, for you are separated in your physical bodies, but it will not always seem strange. Gaia, your mother earth, was one in her evolution. Then she diversified to evolve in conscious awareness. Will she not become whole again. Alright? Does it make sense to you?