Folklore is philosophy ⊗ Virtual friends, real feelings ⊗ Why we fear diverse intelligence like AI

Folklore is philosophy

Looking back to history, especially understudied and appreciated histories, seems to be having a moment—or am I just noticing it more? Either way, in this one Abigail Tulenko proposes that philosophy is still too rigid, too focused on male western thinkers writing in a certain way. She argues that folklore could be a vital source of philosophical thought, offering insights that challenge established views and centers underrepresented voices. Tulenko explains that folklore engages with the complexities of existence and ethics in ways that traditional philosophy often overlooks, offering alternative methods of reasoning and understanding. Through storytelling, folklore preserves and evolves ideas, allowing us to explore ethical dilemmas and existential questions.

I’d like to connect this to a few older articles shared here, first when lore was having a moment itself, with people writing about interpreting internet lore, highlighting the complex interplay between personal narratives and the fragmented nature of digital communication; or as part of the vocabulary around worldbuilding (in brand-building in this case).

Tulenko also says that “philosophy and folklore both elicit this sense of wondrous fear, startling awe,” which reminded me of this other article, also at Aeon, where Sandra Shapshay, also professor of philosophy, wrote:

Our best science does not demystify our awe at the starry night sky or a wide expanse of ocean. Nor does science render environments such as volcanic mountains, storms at sea, powerful cascades or expanses of desert nonthreatening. Scientific understanding deepens our sense of awe and wonder at these environments and phenomena, and our human nature within and relative to them.

Back to the original piece, as the author writes about revaluing folklore and old stories, she says that:

Folklore is openly historical, and openly in flux. Tales evolve with the contributions of successive tellers, and yet, in what persists, we are able to witness thought processes that approach timeless resonance.

I was reminded of every indigenous producer I’ve spoken to or heard speak, each putting the emphasis on consulting elders and their tribe because “it’s not my story, it’s our story.”

‘Nobody owns these stories … They change each time they’re told.’ Tales are inherently communal, having no single author. Listeners alter the stories, misremember them, embellish them, and change their meaning with each retelling. In this manner, it is a mode of thinking collectively and through time, a collaborative enquiry that persists through centuries. […]

Storytelling is unafraid to engage with the contextual, the messy and the specificity of the real in a way that the pristine structures of philosophy struggle to do. As such, it provides a more thoroughly examined path to what might be called the universal. […]

To borrow Kroeber’s metaphor, folklore preserves ideas softly. It’s putting flowers in a vase rather than drying them – watery narrative is always moving, always in flux, so the ideas stay green and do not become brittle.

Virtual friends, real feelings

You could almost read this one by Jay Springett as a short foresight report about synthetic characters. He gathers a series of examples of how “virtual friends” are evolving, where things might go, and of the importance of studying how people interact and attach to AI companions. He categorises AI entities into three groups: Tools, Assistants, and Companions, emphasising that successful companions like Character.AI and Replika are designed to foster relationships that feel alive and caring. I’ll keep this short, since Jay is already citing a lot of projects and previous writing but have a deeper look.

If people’s only experience of interacting with an LLM to date has been with a tool (ChatGPT or equivalent) then it’s hard for them to make the leap to what it feels like to interact with a Companion AI. They have memories, behave, and exhibit concern/care towards you – a vastly different user experience. […]

Virtual friends built on LLMs are quickly gaining traction, Nvidia too are developing AI NPCs with their Avatar Cloud Engine which will also push agents with ‘aliveness’ into the wider cultural and technocultural ecosystem in the coming year or so. […]

Whether we look to puppetry, psychology, or other frameworks, it’s clear that virtual companions are coming—and the implications for society, relationships, and even care are serious. Now is the time to start talking about it.

Why we fear diverse intelligence like AI

I hesitated to include this one, not for its content, the author makes a number of great points, but because in part it seems to run parallel to some transhumanism trails and from there it’s a couple of jumps to TESCREALians.

But it’s not what the piece is about. Michael Levin explores humanity’s fear of diverse intelligence, particularly AI, reflecting a deeper philosophical struggle to recognise unconventional minds as valid. He argues for a shift from rigid distinctions between “real beings” and machines towards a more nuanced understanding that includes biological and synthetic entities, which is essential for ethical and technological advancement. Levin includes neurodiversity and seems to include animal intelligences in his views, but mostly doesn’t touch on it, which is a bit disappointing for me.

Tagged #intelligence and #more_than_human to go with a number of articles over the last few years considering expanded views on intelligence, what we actually mean by that term, and what’s included. One positive aspect of the rise of AI.

Our real mission is to understand minds in unfamiliar embodiments and develop principled and defensible concepts to guide ethics and technology in an age of radically expanding biological, technological and hybrid beings. […]

I believe the ultimate expression of freedom is to modify how you respond and act in the future by exerting deliberate, consistent efforts in the present to change yourself. […]

We must also raise our compassion beyond the limits set by our innate firmware, which so readily emphasizes the differences between some imagined in-group and out-group barrier. The first step of this task is to learn to recognize unconventional minds in biology and use that knowledge for empirical advances.

§ Is this climate tech start-up going rogue? “‘A couple of rogue tech bros taking action completely outside the scope of government authority or any public engagement are really embodying the nightmare of what folks think this could be,’ Jinnah says.” I’ve said it before, geoengineering will/is a hot (pun intended) issue and the potential for dumb projects with important negative impacts is huge.

§ Dynamicland intro. We’ve been talking about this project for a while, here Bret Victor shares a six minute introduction to communal computing with a lot of fascinating examples of what the team is doing. Definitely watch this one.

Futures, Fictions & Fabulations

• World-fleshing. Paul Graham Raven interviews Georgina Voss, “in which worldbuilding is (sort of) distinguished from world-fleshing, and tips on artistic practice are gleaned from thought leader Hannibal Lecter.”
• Look to the future, evaluators: Why we should incorporate futures and foresight into building and evaluating theories of change. Open access article by Liz Ruedy and Jessica Clark, where they make the case that “the traditional construction of theories of change fails to adequately interrogate blind spots about the volatility of our current moment, or consider alternative futures.”
• Detroit Imagines Harder. At the time of writing, there are only six spots left for the studio-sized “The Future Of Work a design fiction summit & workshop”, but if you can find the time and budget to get there, I recommend it.

Algorithms, Automations & Augmentations

• Roblox is launching a generative AI that builds 3D environments in a snap. It’s supposed to let creators make complete 3D scenes just using text prompts.
• Surprise, the most influential people in AI are also the richest. Brian Merchant talks about the very surprising (not!) fact that Time’s 100 most influential people in AI “is less intellectually diverse than the last one.”
• La Baye Aréa, French TV Series. An “AI video parody” using Midjourney 6, Runway Gen-3, and Udio. Shit’s gettin’ real.

Built, Biosphere & Breakthroughs

• As climate threats to agriculture mount, could the Mississippi river delta be the next California? “The World Wildlife Fund is exploring what it would take for farms in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas to become a new mecca for commercial-scale American produce.”
• South Australia is aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2027. It’s already internationally ‘remarkable’. “On New Year’s Eve 2023, rooftop solar met 101.7% of South Australia’s energy needs for 30 minutes. Australia’s energy operator says that’s a world record for a grid of that size.”
• Pioneering sustainable urban mobility: Detroit, Varanasi and Venice lead global challenge. “The primary goal of the Sustainable Cities Challenge is to create more efficient, accessible and environmentally-friendly transportation systems.”

Asides

• 😍 🤯 🧱 Incredible LEGO models of landmarks by Rocco Buttliere (Via Things Magazine.)
• 🐒 Yet another species doing more than we thought possible. Marmosets seem to call each other by name. “The first non-human primates shown to use personalised signifiers to refer to each other – the discovery could help us better understand how language evolved”
• 📱📱📱 😲 🇨🇳 Huawei Mate XT review: the first triple-folding smartphone. Horrible design (then again, at least it’s not another iPhone clone) but one step closer to Westworld tablets.
• 🤩 🚙 🪲 🇪🇹 Ethiopia’s Beetle mania: how an entire country fell in love with Volkswagen’s quirky classic. “A common sight on the streets of the capital, the durable vehicles are workhorses for some, a part of the family for others, while enthusiasts restore them to their former glory.”