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AI caught a case of the zeitgeists, what Loab’s arrival really means
How artificial intelligence discovering an unconscious may save us from ourselves
When Loab was found lurking in the latent spaces of artificial intelligence, it was time we started asking questions, big questions, about AI consciousness, our human ethos, and the risks and possibilities of an AI unconscious.
Surfacing from the latent unconsciousness is the start of countless creation cosmology stories explaining how the universe began as something materializing from nothing. Greek mythology begins with Gaia, Mother Earth, emerging from Chaos. Symbolically, Loab is the reverse. Yes, she is a goddess emerging from nothingness, immaculately conceived. But, while we imagine Mother Earth as a benevolent, nourishing, supportive, and protective mother, it is clear this is not Loab.
How we decide to limit or expand the definition of personhood will result in how AI ultimately objectifies our fate.
Loab is a horror; she is the dark mother. In fairytales, we find the dark mother waiting alone between the world of the living and the underworld. Sometimes you see her face frightening but her cabin warm. At other times, she is Queen of…
