Truth Decay

There are few things as important to growth as reflection. It is only by looking back on our actions and the context in which they occurred that we are able to learn from them. By looking inwards, rather than outwards, we can direct ourselves towards stability. Whether it be through our values, our beliefs, or our behaviour, the answers to dealing with the problems we face are often found within ourselves.

However, navigating the inner workings of your own mind is incredibly difficult. Your brain cannot reliably assess whether you are right or wrong any more than a criminal could reliably testify to their own guilt. That is why it is so important to reflect not only on your words, your emotions, or your actions, but those of the people around you.

Through interactions with other people, we are often confronted with ideas and experiences that refute our beliefs or preconceptions. Though it rarely happens instantaneously, those thoughts and doubts often have a lasting effect, that over time shapes the entirety of our frame of mind.

The inherent problem with replacing or even supplementing this slow but effective way in which we develop our ideas and beliefs with generative AI is that the output of any given Chatbot is ultimately just an imitation of human interaction directed by the input it is given. It does not, and can not, force us to confront the aspects of ourselves that we do not recognise.

That is why it comes off so sycophantic. To challenge you properly, people must first develop an impression as to who you are. This is inherently impossible to do critically if the only source of information a chatbot has as to your character, personality or intelligence is you. Even that which you hate about yourself is likely not that which is truly holding you back from personal growth.

It might sound demeaning to reduce people’s interactions with these chatbots – as they supposedly use them to overcome trauma, develop skills, and improve their lives – to them whispering into a mirror in the dark, but that’s exactly what it is.

Here, in the dark, it can be hard to reflect. To remember. To grow. Because as you sit in the dark, squinting at the mirror, seeking answers to all your deepest questions, you will find you lack the catalyst for positive change. You lack the courage to find your own way. And you lack the integrity to lay down this fancy toy the billionaires made for you and embrace your humanity to its fullest.