Commencement Speech Urges Alliances with Whale Intelligence in AI Era
Full text: https://begus.substack.com/publish/post/198426105
Gašper Beguš@begusgasperHere's a commencement speech that didn't get booed at when AI was mentioned. "In this moment, when humanity is realizing that its intelligence might not be the most exclusive and unique, it is worth forming our alliances with other biological beings. Perhaps it’s time to start learning not only from other humans, but from other species as well. It is time to listen deeply to another intelligence that learns exactly as we do—through companionship and conversation. As many of you know, the biological intelligences I love most are whales whom I began listening to here in Bowles Hall. They live in a dramatically different world from ours, but they are remarkably similar in many ways. They form families and clans defined by how they speak—by their dialects. They come together when they surface from the ocean’s vastness and they engage in long conversations. Grandmothers are an especially important part of the family. They are very chatty and help transmit the rich cultural knowledge of each family. The many proud grandmothers in our audience today surely know what I am referring to. Not long ago, we witnessed the birth of a sperm whale. A newborn whale cannot survive on its own. It is born underwater and it must reach the air to take its first breath—and it cannot get there alone. As this baby whale was born in the water, ten other whales, from two different families, gathered around it. Together they lifted the newborn up until it broke the surface and breathed. And then something extraordinary happened. Out of nowhere, hundreds of dolphins joined in what appeared to be a celebration of new life in the ocean. I couldn’t think of a better picture of Bowles hall. We learn through many conversations, come together as a family, and when things become difficult we lift one another up. There are many things meaningful to us humans that whales never see. There are no trees and no ground in their world. But the opposite is also true. There are things in their lives that we cannot even imagine. As you go out in the world, search for those unimaginable things. Try to discover what is meaningful to your friends, your family, and the people around you that you can't yet imagine and learn from that. Ask what a tree is for a whale. Ask what a tree is for your loved one. Ask what a tree is for your friend. And here is the most striking thing I have learned from whales. They have no paths. No paved roads to walk on, no fences that keep them on the right track. Just a vast ocean, countless possible ways to get from one place to another. This is your life now, dear graduates. From this beautiful place onward, you have endless ways to swim through life—not roads someone else laid down for you, but paths you will choose yourselves. I know that you will choose the boldest, most exciting ones. And I hope that all along the way you find companions: people to listen to, to argue with, to learn from—people who will lift you up, and people you will lift up in return."
Full text here:
Gašper Beguš@begusgasperHere's a commencement speech that didn't get booed at when AI was mentioned. "In this moment, when humanity is realizing that its intelligence might not be the most exclusive and unique, it is worth forming our alliances with other biological beings. Perhaps it’s time to start learning not only from other humans, but from other species as well. It is time to listen deeply to another intelligence that learns exactly as we do—through companionship and conversation. As many of you know, the biological intelligences I love most are whales whom I began listening to here in Bowles Hall. They live in a dramatically different world from ours, but they are remarkably similar in many ways. They form families and clans defined by how they speak—by their dialects. They come together when they surface from the ocean’s vastness and they engage in long conversations. Grandmothers are an especially important part of the family. They are very chatty and help transmit the rich cultural knowledge of each family. The many proud grandmothers in our audience today surely know what I am referring to. Not long ago, we witnessed the birth of a sperm whale. A newborn whale cannot survive on its own. It is born underwater and it must reach the air to take its first breath—and it cannot get there alone. As this baby whale was born in the water, ten other whales, from two different families, gathered around it. Together they lifted the newborn up until it broke the surface and breathed. And then something extraordinary happened. Out of nowhere, hundreds of dolphins joined in what appeared to be a celebration of new life in the ocean. I couldn’t think of a better picture of Bowles hall. We learn through many conversations, come together as a family, and when things become difficult we lift one another up. There are many things meaningful to us humans that whales never see. There are no trees and no ground in their world. But the opposite is also true. There are things in their lives that we cannot even imagine. As you go out in the world, search for those unimaginable things. Try to discover what is meaningful to your friends, your family, and the people around you that you can't yet imagine and learn from that. Ask what a tree is for a whale. Ask what a tree is for your loved one. Ask what a tree is for your friend. And here is the most striking thing I have learned from whales. They have no paths. No paved roads to walk on, no fences that keep them on the right track. Just a vast ocean, countless possible ways to get from one place to another. This is your life now, dear graduates. From this beautiful place onward, you have endless ways to swim through life—not roads someone else laid down for you, but paths you will choose yourselves. I know that you will choose the boldest, most exciting ones. And I hope that all along the way you find companions: people to listen to, to argue with, to learn from—people who will lift you up, and people you will lift up in return."