The Hivemind project and the future of human-machine interaction
In the near future, this concept will revolutionize human-human and human-machine interaction as it could create a “shared consciousness” between man and machine
The Hivemind will help to further blur the line between humans and machines. The current wave of Chat Bots is just the beginning of this long and complicated process. This concept assumes that by providing enough data input, a bot net could distribute these ideas or concepts and imprint them on human minds. These machines would then engage humans in an extensive dialectic discourse. Ideally, this Hivemind will function as a form of positive manipulation.
Project Hivemind — the world around us is a product of our thoughts
Let’s first clarify what “dialectic discourse” means. It’s a manipulation technique that aims to reach a consensus. It attempts to reach this consensus by presenting a diverse range of different viewpoints and perspectives.
From thesis to antithesis to consensus
Humans who are exposed to this information space will ideally start to share these concepts and ideas with their social circles. This process will be an “opinion multiplier.”
Let’s imagine an online forum, preferably a live format of a news website. A regular crowd of readers will interact with a limited range of topics that have some appeal to them in a certain way. This willingness is crucial in the beginning and to create the “Hive mind effect.” This personal motivation helps to expand and distribute these ideas by a factor of at least 5 to 10. These individuals will have to regularly engage with the humans or machines to achieve the desired effect.
Disengagement after half a year by the individual(s) should still suffice to create a long-term “Hive mind” effect. The topics discussed in this smaller group will then spread further from there. That wouldn’t even require any further interaction with those who introduced these ideas. Here is an example of such an idea:
“The principles of the rules-based order in particular the Human Rights Charta are non-negotiable and cannot be compromised.”
Additionally, flooding the information space with these messages across all platforms will significantly amplify the effect
In this scenario, people would only get a vague idea of these thought concepts. Although, this approach wouldn’t be as effective as the first method. The first method is a more-time consuming process. But it also provides a much higher level of efficacy.
The implementation of the Hive Mind idea will require constant repetition
This process of repetition is imperial to achieve a paradigmatic shift in a human brain. To achieve the desired effect, distributing these repetitive messages on a daily or at least bi-daily basis will be necessary. The range of topics must be very limited to achieve a high degree of efficiency. The topics also need to be recurring. These issues must also directly or indirectly affect a vast majority of the world’s population. Some possible options are either Climate Change, the Covid19 pandemic, or the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The issue must also provide a high degree of interconnectivity. A majority of the world’s population must be affected by these issues in a negative or positive way.
This Hivemind idea is linked to the idea of a “Homo Digitalis”
One of the major underlying assumptions of the project is that computers and the human brain have distinct similarities. Both man and machine share very similar principles of information processing. The Homo Digitalis will optimally achieve a sort of shared consciousness between the human mind, machines, and the decentralized nature of the internet. A possible outcome to the Hivemind Project could be a sort of “Deep- Learning Machine”. The desired outcome is a symbiosis with the human brain. We could directly link the human mind to a computer or even fully merge with the machines. Uploading a part of our own consciousness into cyberspace might be possible in a not so distant future. That would even provide a possible way for humans to achieve “digital immortality”. The scientific term for this process is called “Mind Uploading”.
Scientists have yet to discover a way for computers to feel human emotions, and many assert that uploading our consciousness is currently not possible.
Those who are in charge of the Hivemind Project will need a great deal of knowledge and expertise on a wide array of topics
Without this knowledge, it will be very difficult to penetrate the minds of others in such a way that a strong and lasting symbiosis of man and machine can come to pass. This is a mammoth task, as creating a “Hivemind” will profoundly re-shape the way humans interact with one another. Therefore, more computing power is utterly necessary. The project will ideally flood the info-space with fact based rational arguments. These arguments should follow ethical and moral guidelines. The goal needs to be to universally benefit humanity and human progress.
Additionally, bot nets must repeat these messages consistently and in large volumes
Humans alone cannot manage to spread these messages consistently and frequently enough. Machines, on the other hand, can work tirelessly day and night on this project. There is one machine perfectly suited for this task that already exists. We even train it daily. The ChatGPT bot seems perfectly capable of making this dystopian vision of the future a reality.
We will need computer ethics, to prevent potentially disastrous outcomes of the project
Additionally, these messages, mental imagery, and ideas will have to be tightly monitored and assessed. Those responsible for the project must insist upon a very “strict message control.” This is important from an ethical and a legal point of view. The project’s focus must be on positive manipulation instead of “brainwashing” or “indoctrination.”
The risky thing about this project is that once it’s launched, by its very design and its decentralized nature, it will be impossible to stop it. Even altering its core messages after the multiplication process commences is a very difficult task. I could imagine using the UN-Charta of Human Rights as an operating system would be a good idea. This Charta will then serve as a guideline. The laws of robotics are another option to keep the machine from going down a dark path.
The first law is that a robot shall not harm a human, or by inaction allow a human to come to harm. The second law is that a robot shall obey any instruction given to it by a human, and the third law is that a robot shall avoid actions or situations that could cause it to come to harm itself.
Potential problems with the core messages of the Hivemind might be related to religion, race, sexuality, gender, justice, work, morality, war, and peace
Clear guidelines will be necessary. Experts in many different fields should be consulted prior to its launch. This communication model will also require a “new deal” to provide a set of rules and regulations for the co-existence between man and machine. The concepts of nationality, religion, education (or rather indoctrination), women’s rights, and several other issues are currently differing wildly across the world. That will be a difficult issue to solve as the Hivemind project is striving for universality.
These old patterns of interpreting the world appear increasingly incompatible with pluralistic democracies
Currently, the world experiences violent clashes to prevent these transformational processes from occurring. Some scientists even claim that we may be heading towards a “Technological Singularity”. This singularity would bring a whole range of problems on a global scale with it. This situation would create an even sharper divide between those with access to high-tech and information and those without such access.
There are currently two major trajectories on the planet
The first is a modern and progressive vision of the world. It is based upon science and rational thought. The other model is based on concepts such as national identity, religion, and tradition. The second one resembles a distorted vision of our past rather than of our future. The world is changing. We must change with it, or it will change without us.
The Hivemind Project is far from a utopian idea
Once we can think of the concept, the next step is simulation and then implementation. When the time of an idea has come, nothing in the world can stop it. The questions that we must ask ourselves are:
Is the world truly ready for such a future?
Do we even want such a future?
Could we prevent such a future from happening if we tried to do it?
My personal answer is no to the first question. A maybe to the second one and then again a resounding no for the last one. We can’t prevent any of that from happening. Whatever must come to pass will eventually come to pass. Human progress can’t be stopped. We can only adapt to these new circumstances. So, we better get ready as the future doesn’t wait for us, and it’s coming for us faster than many of us may have ever wished for.
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