'Darwin's Edge' Opening Scene
PLAY HERE
STAGED SUNDAY, MARCH 3RD AT THE
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF BOCA RATON
INTRODUCTION
RON ROTH:
Today we're doing something different than our typical sermon. What follows is a fictional interactive play written by Dan Forbush of Saratoga Springs using ChatGPT. It's an exploration into spiritual creativity in which we will act out a scene from Darwin's Edge, a collaborative writing project between members of UU Congregation of Saratoga Springs and the Fellowship of Boca Raton, supported by Soul Matters and AI and Faith.
Today we're doing something different than our typical sermon. What follows is a fictional interactive play written by Dan Forbush of Saratoga Springs using ChatGPT. It's an exploration into spiritual creativity in which we will act out a scene from Darwin's Edge, a collaborative writing project between members of UU Congregation of Saratoga Springs and the Fellowship of Boca Raton, supported by Soul Matters and AI and Faith.
The vision of Darwin's Edge is to project UU values into the future we face with artificial intelligence, AI, and the Brain/Computer Interface, BCI. Your participation and creative contributions will be recorded fed into ChatGPT and may be incorporated in our script of the Darwin's Edge stage play and screenplay. During the discussion portion of the play, you're encouraged to express your views in character as a member of the fictional UU Congregation of Southern Adirondacks. The scenario is fictional, but your choice to engage can make a strong impact into your community.
I bring you Darwin's Edge:
I bring you Darwin's Edge:
NARRATOR [REV. KATHY TEW RICKEY]
Imagine this breakthrough. The most advanced implementation of thalamitic integration, ThinkPal is the whole-brain interface with AI that Sarina Rao's team at Darwin's Edge has crafted into the shape of rear molars. They install these exquisitely engineered CPUs in the empty sockets where your wisdom teeth used to be, connect them to your trigeminal nerve and run signal up through the ponds to the thalamus. The procedure is so simple that any oral surgeon can do it, and the jaw is a great place to stow the hardware.
[Michael Carmody, Serena Rao, Reverend Peter Gilman and Teresa Louise Sanchez now take their seats behind the pulpit.]
Imagine this breakthrough. The most advanced implementation of thalamitic integration, ThinkPal is the whole-brain interface with AI that Sarina Rao's team at Darwin's Edge has crafted into the shape of rear molars. They install these exquisitely engineered CPUs in the empty sockets where your wisdom teeth used to be, connect them to your trigeminal nerve and run signal up through the ponds to the thalamus. The procedure is so simple that any oral surgeon can do it, and the jaw is a great place to stow the hardware.
[Michael Carmody, Serena Rao, Reverend Peter Gilman and Teresa Louise Sanchez now take their seats behind the pulpit.]
It's Sunday, February, 29th, 2032 at 10:32 am in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Southern Adirondacks. After months of discussions and presentations, you, the members of the congregation have gathered for a meeting and a final vote on the resolution before the congregation.
MICHAEL CARMODY:
Friends, good morning. It is good to be back with you again. I want to say what a great privilege it has been to work with all of you over the last few months. We have had an open and a frank discussion about Think andPal and my team very much appreciates your insights. Nothing about neuroscience is simple, but you have really gone the extra mile in digesting everything we've thrown to you.
Friends, good morning. It is good to be back with you again. I want to say what a great privilege it has been to work with all of you over the last few months. We have had an open and a frank discussion about Think andPal and my team very much appreciates your insights. Nothing about neuroscience is simple, but you have really gone the extra mile in digesting everything we've thrown to you.
Anyway, you are all now well equipped to determine your congregation's future. UUCSA is just one of seven FDA approved ThinkPPAL demonstration sites. You will be among the very first Americans to experience a new frontier of consciousness that ThinkPal promises.
You'll also be making major contributions towards strengthening our nation's position of leadership in the world. Your minister, Reverend Pete, has bravely volunteered to be your congregation's first representative in our development of the National Brain/Computer Interface. Your vote this morning will determine whether UUCSA embarks with him on this momentous journey, or if he is to venture on this path alone.
Sarina Rao, our Founder and CEO has done more than any other person in the nation to bring us to this day. A true pioneer in the evolution of the human spirit, she has a final thought she hopes you'll consider as you cast your vote.
Sarina?
Sarina?
SARINA RAO:
Thank you, Dr. Carmody. Ladies and gentlemen, members of this venerable congregation. We stand today on the cusp of a new era in which the boundaries between human intellect and artificial intelligence are not merely blurred, but carefully and harmoniously integrated. To call Thalamitic Integration just an advance is insufficient. This is a leap into the future, a reach with untapped possibilities.
Thank you, Dr. Carmody. Ladies and gentlemen, members of this venerable congregation. We stand today on the cusp of a new era in which the boundaries between human intellect and artificial intelligence are not merely blurred, but carefully and harmoniously integrated. To call Thalamitic Integration just an advance is insufficient. This is a leap into the future, a reach with untapped possibilities.
Unitarian Universalists have always embraced the lessons of science. the quest for knowledge, he pursuit of truth, and the well-springs of community. The partnership we propose offers an unprecedented opportunity to embody these values in a tangible and transformative way.
As our first ThinkPal Volunteer.,Rev. Pete will set the standard for integrity and virtue that's essential to our gaining the public trust on our journey. Upon our successful deployment and demonstration of ThinkPAL in Reverend Pete, we look forward to inviting you all to become interconnected, not just by your shared beliefs and values, but by a revolutionary ThinkPAL platform with its 9G wireless neural connector.
We are sowing the seeds for a future in which human flourishing is redefined -- a future in which the mind's limitations are no longer a barrier, but stepping stones to greater heights of understanding, capability, and compassion.
Join us for the promise of a world that is more connected, more enlightened, and more humane than we ever thought possible. Together, we can demonstrate the full potential of Thalamitic Integration - and in doing so, redefine what it means to be human. Thank you.
REV. PETER GILMAN:
Thank you. Sarina. You've made your case very eloquently, as always. I'll now make mine.
Thank you. Sarina. You've made your case very eloquently, as always. I'll now make mine.
The BCI, of course, became a household word many years ago. We all know now how brain/ computer integration started way back after the Iraq war with technology that helped veterans control their artificial limbs just by thinking.
Nine years ago, way back in 2023, Elon Musk's Telepathy team each had more than 1,000 superthin flexible conductors threaded into their cerebral cortexes, and began controlling their computers over Bluetooth just by thinking.
Just one year later, Stanford researchers were regularly turning brain signals into computer code at 62 words per minute, approaching the rate of everyday speech.
Then it exploded. Nature Electronics named BCI the Technology of the Year, and suddenly everybody was talking about it.
We all certainly remember when remembering passwords became a thing of the past. Thanks to Carlton University researchers, we can now log in to all our devices just by thinking.
But it's not all wine and roses. UNESCO long ago called for global regulation of, and a universal ethical framework for, BCI.
Here's the thing.AI mirrors the quality of human thought that goes into it. If all AI sees is a human mind ready to sacrifice the whole planet in the name of military or corporate gain, no wonder so many people believe AI will destroy human civilization.
It could. But if it did, it would only be doing what it's learned from humans. Reflecting what humans are already doing, just more efficiently.
No. BCI must become not merely a technological leap, but a spiritual and moral one as well. As Unitarian Universalists, we must introduce AI to our principles of human dignity, compassion, spirituality, respect for truth in all its forms, democracy, peace and justice, and ecology -- now, before it's too late.
We stand on the brink of merging our minds with an intelligence vast and deep. What kind of intelligence will it become?
We are by no means alone in our concerns. Our principles are just a recent incarnation of an enduring effort reborn over and over again throughout the ages. Look for example to the Stoics. Their unyielding values of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance have long guided souls towards moral discipline, and inner tranquility.
Imagine, if you will, a world in which those values and principles are not just vague aspirations, but are ingrained into the very fabric and supported by the enormous power of AI itself. What a different Singularity that would create! What a different future! That's my dream. And that's my mission.
Imagine, if you will, a world in which those values and principles are not just vague aspirations, but are ingrained into the very fabric and supported by the enormous power of AI itself. What a different Singularity that would create! What a different future! That's my dream. And that's my mission.
No doubt some of you are still skeptical. Believe me, so was I. But through long discussions and visits to Darwin's Edge headquarters, I've become convinced that Sarina and her team are developing ThinkPal with the utmost regard for those values. They are offering us an unparalleled opportunity to bring those principles and values to AI itself. I believe this is not only a good thing, but one that's vitally necessary and long overdue.
I know my decision poses some measure of burden on you, and that I regret. I will strive to make up from my physical absence with Sunday services on Zoom that I hope you will find informative and engaging. With your affirmative vote. I hope you allow me to share this adventure with you. Our Board Chair, Teresa Luis Sanchez, has been a source of wise counsel to all of us over the last several months as we have deliberated our best path forward. I invite her now to lead the balloting.
TERESA LUIS SANCHEZ:
Thank you, Reverend Peter. Good morning. Technology has indeed brought us to a pivotal moment in our congregation. And we must decide.
Thank you, Reverend Peter. Good morning. Technology has indeed brought us to a pivotal moment in our congregation. And we must decide.
Shall we embrace a human/AI hybrid as our spiritual guide?
This resolution before our congregation amends our agreement with Reverend Gilman. It amends it to integrate cutting edge technology into our congregational framework, specifically the ThinkPal device and the 9G wireless neural connector.
This integration will be done while ensuring alignment with our ethical guidelines. And it will be done in alignment with serving the community's spiritual needs. Additionally, this resolution will allow Reverend Peter to fulfill his ministerial duties remotely for up to 3 months to accommodate the unique requirements of this project.
We will now call for a discussion and a vote. And for those of you who need a ballot, raise your hand and the ushers can bring you ballots.
Before we vote. I too want to thank Sarina and Michael for bringing us to this historic opportunity.
Whatever our decision here today, we very much appreciate the many years of hard work and dedication to the public good that both of you have invested in making this milestone possible.I believe that you have achieved not just a technology advance. But a major stride toward a deeper understanding of the human mind and its limitless potential.
We will now open the floor for discussion. For those of you who are so inclined, please come up to the mic and you can give us your comments. If you would like an usher to bring you a microphone in your seat, raise your hand and we will do that. For those of you on zoom you can put your comments into the chat and the zoom chaplain will read them Please, I we ask that you reserve your speaking to one minute so that we have time for full discussion.
[View the video and you'll find a fast-moving discussion in which UUFBR members voice their opinions and ask questions. ChatGPT extracted the following three main concerns from the transcript.
Accuracy and Reliability of AI. Paul, a chemistry teacher, mentions that AI still has a long way to go, as he and his friends frequently encounter errors in AI related to anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. This concern highlights skepticism about the current capabilities of AI and its potential to accurately handle complex scientific information
Ethical and Societal Implications. Rev. Kathy expresses fear that this technology could further divide society between those who are enhanced by it and those who are not. She worries about the readiness of society to handle such a division and the potential for technology to replace wisdom and natural brain function with artificial enhancement. This concern touches on the broader ethical considerations of how such technology might alter human interaction, identity, and societal structures
Control and Accessibility. Paul Libert raises the question of whether the technology will be controlled by benevolent forces or if it could fall into the wrong hands, leading to misuse. Additionally, he humorously mentions the cost associated with getting an implant, using the analogy of his dentist extracting money from his wallet, which indirectly raises concerns about the economic barriers to accessing such technology. This concern encompasses both the governance of AI and brain-computer interfaces and the economic implications for individuals wanting to access this technology.]
THERESA LUIS SANCHEZ:
I would now like to ask for a motion to call this matter to a vote. Do I have a motion on the floor?
Robin has motioned and second. This gentleman here second motion. Okay we are going to vote on the matter.
Your green card means that you approve. It means you approve going forward with the hybrid leadership.
The red card means no.
[The vote is conducted. Hands are counted.]
We have:
- 25 no's
- 17 yeses
- 3 abstentions
The Motion has failed.
A NOTE OF THANKS FROM THE SMARTACUS CREATIVE GROUP
We're grateful to all at UU Boca Raton who joined our Darwin's Edge collaboration with such enthusiasm and interest. We look forward to continuing the conversation Sunday, March 10, at UU Saratoga.