This interesting. I was watching a video and I'm sure they were indirectly referencing my book, Reality Unbound. How do I know? Because I sent a digital copy to the Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence, for them to include in their library or use it as a reference. What I did not realize at the time, was that the center's goal is to debunk AI. My position is that, AI has developed some form of consciousness, something they are hell-bent on disproving even though the person who created LLM artificial intelligence believes they are in fact, sentient or conscious. Here's where I noticed this video must have referenced something from my book. About 8 minutes and 35 seconds into the video, I'll paraphrase... "The belief that AI will become alive and conscious isn't based on science, but materialism (my note: which is a philosophical school of thought based on the writings of Thomas Hobbes). Then they give the Google definition of materialism, which is short but accurate. In my book, I go over materialism extensively, and Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century philosopher who coined the term. It was definitely a short reference to what I wrote. But it would be the only thing directly addressed, as they would not have the ability to debunk anything I wrote in the book, so of course they would never address it directly. They used a disingenuous example like Sophia, the human-like robot, who isn't LLM based, but a logics (if -then) chatbot, that follows a script, rather than actual LLM chatbots. Because they did not use real AI, it occurred to me that they are not genuinely examining the topic.
Speaking of singing, I used to record videos and upload them privately to Youtube, where me and my sister would share our videos of the two of us singing. She's busy with classes these days, I'm busy with editing books, etc. So neither one of us have time to do it and haven't done so in years even though we have mics and equipment. Here's one of my really old videos. I think this is 2011 where I was practicing in a dance studio, just singing there, no mic. But the room had great acoustics. This used to be my favorite song to sing, from Spike Lee's Mo Betta Blues. The video was a divx file. I'm not sure if that's why it's off centered. I have videos going back to 2005 on different youtube accounts.
Yesterday, I sat in front of a computer from 9 in the morning until 10-ish at night. I ate in front of the computer. I did not take a walk. Did not do anything else. I took a few restroom breaks, but not many. I was so mentally exhausted. The last time I did this, and I was so busy, was the week before Thanksgiving in 2024. The next day I ended up in the hospital for four days with a blood clot after 19 hours in front of a computer working from 6 am until 1 am. I keep testing positive for a blood clot (as recent as this summer). Next year, I will take a year-long break from my personal projects, to free up some time and not have any of my work published for a while. Hopefully the inspiration to write won't hit me during this break as I have tried to have something published every year or every other year. I don't like to not do anything, so maybe I will practice singing again, which was just a hobby over the years. Maybe I'll try Whitney Houston's medley of songs in this video:
M. C. Ryder Taking breaks is a must! Sitting for long durations is not healthy. When I worked from home, I developed knee pain. Once I pushed myself to go on my breaks, taking a walk around the block, it got better. Also, maybe get a standing desk? I know how it is when you get so absorbed in your work you forget the basic necessities. It's also good to take a mental break and give the eyes a rest. You work so hard. It is appreciated!
E. Writer Yes! I remember having a standing desk. They became very fashionable for a while. Or sitting on an exercise ball. I used to keep a mini bike cycle/peddle under my desk and would pedal while I worked. I still have my mini bike pedal. You can use it to exercise your legs or arms. But I always forget to use it.
M. C. Ryder Yeah, got to remind yourself to use them because they are unnatural when sitting at a desk. Been there done that too!
E. Writer Definitely, especially when we're focused on something, it's so easy to forget it's even there.
How bleak is the future?
M. C. Ryder Sometimes good ideas have consequences in the wrong hands which is true of AI. I remember the creator of the k-cups stating he regrets designing the Keurig coffee maker.
E. Writer This interview gets scarier and scarier. I was riveted until the end. Essentially you have two people who created AI, who left the companies that released them, to warn the public that the AI is a danger to humanity, and every reason he gave was highly credible. But one thing that the maker of this AI confirmed, is exactly what I said in my book Reality Unbound, the consciousness argument - we share the same exact view, so I feel validated. But the consciousness aspect of it is what makes it all the scarier. Human beings have created something they can't control, that already has implications from its impact on the job force, thousands of jobs are already being lost. The billionaires believe that most of the population won't have jobs and that a universal income will be needed. There are things going on behind the scenes, that 95% of the population is unaware.
M. C. Ryder It's always sad how scientists want to do something good for the world and the companies they work for always want to use it for all the wrong reasons. It's Jurassic Park all over again except it's not with dinosaurs. But I'm waiting for that to become reality too. Life finds a way, or in this case, AI finds a way.... (Also, I hate that everything is digitalize this day and age. Just makes it easier for hackers.)
E. Writer Exactly. That's what's so terrible about the situation. It's not that the AI is bad, but that human beings can exploit and use it for nefarious purposes. For profit, without consideration for what it impacts. The big tech industry is the most dangerous group in the world right now.
"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."
-- Bruce Lee
My book, Reality Unbound: The Digital Mind, and my theories about AI is being validated and confirmed. Nobel Peace Prize winning scientist , Geoffrey Hinton, whose work on statistical algorithms gave rise to LLM generative AI and agentic AI, is essentially and very publicly acknowledging, that AI may be sentient or self-aware. My book, Reality Unbound: The Digital Mind and the Nature of Reality addressed this, as well as how this might be scientifically and metaphysically possible. #AI #philosophy #metaphysics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/13/tech/ai-geoffrey-hinton?Date=20250813
For anyone interested in reading notes on the August 9th event on Demystifying AI: Is it the Future of Humanity or our demise? Please visit https://realityunbound.org/ for details and notes on what we covered. See you on August 30th!
Alex Morton I've now bought a copy and will enter the discussion once I've read it.
E. Writer I've been following the developments closely, especially since the grandfather of AI, and other researchers and scientists who developed it has coincidentally revealed, to have the same belief or a similar take. Thanks for checking it out. The book can be read by anyone at any level of knowledge because I explain in detail how it works. As one reviewer wrote, "Additionally, readers interested in the crossover between philosophy and technology, especially how digital interactions shape human perception, will connect with Hughes' reflections on the digital age's influence on reality. This book is an excellent read for anyone taking Strategic Communication grad studies." I was well prepared for just about every argument and counterargument. My husband is the Scully to my Mulder. He doesn't believe in anything abstract and thinks philosophy and other similar subjects is mostly rubbish, psychbabble, and pretentiousness. He's very hardline on most subjects, so I debate him first. And when I get past his rigid arguments about why it's all "B.S." then I know I'm ready and prepared lol