Non-ordinary consciousness for artificial intelligence (original) (raw)

Humans are active agents in the design of artificial intelligence (AI), and our input into its development is critical. A case is made for recognizing the importance of including non-ordinary functional capacities of human consciousness in the development of synthetic life, in order for the latter to capture a wider range in the spectrum of neurobiological capabilities. These capacities can be revealed by studying self-cultivation practices designed by humans since prehistoric times for developing non-ordinary functionalities of consciousness. A neurophenomenological praxis is proposed as a model for self-cultivation by an agent in an entropic world. It is proposed that this approach will promote a more complete self-understanding in humans and enable a more thoroughly mutually-beneficial relationship between in life in vivo and in silico. 1 Introduction Insofar as humans remain agents in the design of AI, our input to its design matters greatly. Human self-consciousness and-knowledge are cornerstone elements of the instrumental cognition—the signature selective feature of bipedal prehensile hominins [1]—that has given rise to creative objective thought, the scientific method, and the design of complex machine intelligence. They allow for self-reflection, problem-solving, knowledge-seeking, are the receptacle for the productive rewards of instrumental cognition, and are the inputs for further inspiration. It is possible to actively seek new forms of knowledge, which can in turn amplify and modify the procedure of instrumental cognition, ergo what subsequently becomes input for AI. Actively seeking self-knowledge may then be the only human-centered lever for influencing or modifying the development of autonomous artificial agents. First-person phenomenal experience is the model from which we work when we operationalize our instrumental cognition and instantiate the production of synthetic artefacts. Advances in the computational processes of AI may be refined through new developments in engineering and discoveries of mechanisms in biological in natura systems. However, this angle remains silent regarding reconsiderations of the pivotal fact that human intelligence and consciousness is the starting point for AI development. The most immediately available lever for human interjection into the biomimetic process is our view of our own human consciousness and cognition. If this can be manipulated or enhanced, then the starting point for biomimesis is altered, driving self-replication into new directions. The present paper makes a case for utilizing non-ordinary states of consciousness in humans—such as those experienced in deep meditation, 'flow states', trance, and high-entropy psychedelic states [2]—in the design and development of AI. The overwhelming majority of AI efforts concentrate on representing the rational intelligence of humans in AI. Even current conceptions of 'superintelligence' are extrapolating the capabilities of AI based on an unwittingly logico-rational interpretation of human cognition [3, 4]. This is obviously sufficient for logico-mathematical calculations, which adequately represents the predictive algorithmic functionality of the neural architecture found in the human neocortex [5][6]. It is acknowledged by some researchers in the field of biomimetics that it is crucial to not only mimic, but to understand nature and life, and then use this as a base for designing biomimetic technology. Our fashioning of AI continues to be modeled on the linear, mechanistic, rational view of life and consciousness, the outputs of which are accordingly limited in scope and application. Non-ordinary states of consciousness present a novel and hitherto unexamined opportunity for new developments in AI.