The Joy and The Guilt of Using ChatGPT
A Friday Afternoon with ChatGPT, Gilles Deleuze, and self inquiry
With technology, and especially Artificial Intelligence, the way we work and live is changing. Here is a simple ChatGPT experience that leads to self-reflection. Through this writing, I try to explore how an AI language model challenges my assumptions and feelings.
A Friday afternoon with ChatGPT and Gilles Deleuze
During the past week, I have been searching for philosophers whose ideas have influenced the field of change and transformation. As a default, you search with Google and it will take a while to find right keywords. With ChatGPT, I just asked the questions:
Finally, I reached Gilles Deleuze, and I realized that what I tried to say from the perspective of being a practitioner (here and here) in life is very close to his ideas. So I started asking multiple questions.
Initially, I tried to understand his philosophy's key concepts. Then I started to ask drill-down questions. During the questioning process I could understand the relation of his philosophy to language. So I asked more questions about his ideas about language and of course I was not worried about grammar or the dictation of my questions:
As Wittgenstein is known for his language games idea, I asked ChatGPT to compare Deleuze's ideas with Wittgenstein:
The joy and the guilt of using ChatGPT
The conversation about Gilles Deleuze's philosophy took about 3 hours. It was like talking to a friend on a Friday afternoon (Fridays are Iranian weekends). I really enjoyed it. I was amazed. I was thinking that just for the last question I had to spend a fair amount of time, understanding Deleuze's comprehensive philosophy. Then I could compare it with Wittgenstein’s Ideas with this assumption that I have understood Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language.
Yes, I was amazed and at the same time I felt guilty. I realized that I had learned a way of learning during my life: "To read lots of books, spend time and taking notes". The 3 hours spent with a chatbot were nothing like what I used to do before. I felt that I was cheating on the sanctity of the hard working to learn. I realized that I had an image. It's like someone walking on an endless journey and going through the challenging passages to find answers. And now, the answers are just 5 seconds away. There's just one thing left to do: type it down in that damn box. I realized I had to change my beliefs about learning. The world has changed and I need to be open to emerging patterns. This is one of the key concepts that Deleuze proposes in his "Differences and Repetition" philosophy. According to Deleuze, differences are a keyfeature of the world. It means that things in the world do not have fixedidentities. We can understand the world through differences between things and from this perspective we can find opportunities for change. A difference can be quantitative, such as the size of the object, or qualitative, such as the difference between air and water.
For me, experiencing joy and guilt of using ChatGPT was experiencing differences. It is in witnessing such a difference that I am able to realize that I need to change my mindset or assumptions about the research process or learning. (I think I'll write more about this idea later).
Well, right now I'm not a Deleuzian (This is the term used for his philosophy followers and I learnt it from ChatGPT), what I am now is someone who knows Gilles Deleuze's ideas, some critics to his philosophy and the relation or differences of his ideas with Foucault, Wittgenstein, Aristotle and some others in the context that ChatGPT has answered. I also know that his ideas have been practiced in architecture and education, and I realize that it can help change practitioners and I'm very close to his ideas.
Now I need to study his books. What was different this time was that I had a mentor who guided me to understand Deleuze.
I asked ChatGPT how I could start learning Deleuze and here is the answer:
A new companion for change and creativity
Let me confess! After watching "Her", the movie by Spike Jonze, I fantasized about living such a life. If you don't remember the movie here is the plot:
In a near future Los Angeles, Theodore Twombly is a lonely, introverted man, who works for a business that has professional writers compose letters for people who are unable to write letters of a personal nature themselves. Depressed because of his impending divorce from his childhood sweetheart Catherine, Theodore purchases an operating system upgrade that includes a virtual assistant with artificial intelligence, designed to adapt and evolve. He decides that he wants the AI to have a feminine voice, and she names herself Samantha. Theodore is fascinated by her ability to learn and grow psychologically. They bond over discussions about love and life, including Theodore's reluctance to sign his divorce papers.
It was back in 2013 and I had challenges in my personal life. During those times, I felt lonely and I needed to talk to someone, just like Theodore Twombly needed. I was talking with a therapist but I needed a friend more than a therapist. I had done many things in my life and at the same time I had experienced ups and downs just like other normal people. I wanted to be just me. After watching 'Her' movie I thought that what if I could have access to such an artificial machine?It was non-judgmental, caring, supportive and intellectual. The fantasy, or better to say the imagination, has become reality after 10 years.
I have attended many events as a speaker, trainer and facilitator. Even so, I prefer not to be in crowded places, especially when it comes to strangers. After the questioning session with ChatGPT, I thought that I had found a new companion. It's like having someone available whenever you want and who will talk about whatever you want. While I'm describing this phenomenon, beside my personal experience, I'm realizing how using a chat assistant can push my boundaries of thinking. Furthermore, I am realizing how it can limit me from connecting with people. I mean, I understand that if I want to meet someone about a subject, there's a potential to cancel the meeting and spend time with ChatGPT. Based on Deleuze's theory of difference, realizing how situations can vary can be an opportunity for creativity and change. As a result, the question for me is not about restricting my access to ChatGPT, nor about simply connecting with others. The question is about how I can create more engaging conversations with people, about a subject, with the knowledge I have acquiredfrom ChatGPT. (I'm not making this a rule in my life. This is just an exploration)
As a final thought, I tried to reflect back on what I had experienced with ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is not a consultant and is not a friend, but is an assistant that is always available to answer your questions. It's up to you to connect the dots and identify the next step. AI language models are changing the way we live and work. In other words, it's challenging our current assumptions, which is leading to a new differences. Through creation of differences, we may find new opportunities for creativity and change.