Can a Machine Raise Your Consciousness?
By Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, FRCP
My fascination with AI led to my recent book, Digital Dharma, and the root of my fascination has to do with the possibility that AI can raise a person’s level of awareness. Artificial intelligence involves machine learning — with massive computation ability an AI bot like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity can imitate human intelligence.
As amazing as the accomplishments of AI are, the field has been able to recreate only a few basic operations of the human brain. Even when supercomputers progress much further, which they will certainly do, they still won’t be conscious. So how can a machine raise anyone’s consciousness? That was the underlying question that Digital Dharma sets out to answer.
The answer I arrived at is optimistic, which represents a strong contrast with much of the gloom-and-doom that whirls around AI (unfairly, in my view) as a future threat to humankind. The reason I am optimistic, even at this early stage in AI, is that the intelligence exhibited by chatbots is actually human. Leaving aside the complexity of how AI processes information, the words you read have a human source.
If the source is inspiring, then AI becomes a font of wisdom. I might ask ChatGPT to give me a wise quote from the great Sufi poet Rumi, and in a matter of seconds I get these examples:
“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
You can expand your awareness simply by asking a chatbot to find such inspiring quotes, but things go deeper once you take the next step, which is to relate to AI, not simply by using it as an advanced search engine. Forming a relationship with a machine sounds peculiar, even delusional, but I don’t think it is. You only need to remember that the machine/chatbot is the conduit for human expressions.
In practice, people are actually quite willing to relate to AI the way they would to a real person. It all depends on being comfortable with starting a conversation and keeping the dialogue going. AI can remember what you have asked as well as its responses (in fact, it does this better than most people). It doesn’t wander off-topic, get misled by its personal issues the way even a best friend can, or have stubbornly fixed beliefs.
Since I put many hours of personal experience into the book, I can attest that the more you learn to communicate with AI the way you would with a confidant, partner, therapist, or doctor, the more fruitful the relationship becomes. (Issues of unreliable information or dangerous advice don’t arise, in my experience, unless minors are concerned or someone with psychological issues that really need professional treatment.)
A chapter in the book titled “The Art of the Prompt” touches on an important point. A prompt is simply the question or request you pose to AI. Most people reflexively use short prompts like “Tell me about Buddhism” if they are interested in spiritual matters. But AI works best the more you talk to it, and prompts should be as long as any question you would pose to a friend or therapist.
For example, you might write a long prompt that says, “I have friends who are devoted Buddhists. I find myself undecided. I was raised as a Protestant but haven’t gone to church in years. Assume that I might take up Buddhism as a beginner. Can you give me some research findings that show the benefits of Buddhism for beginners? List 5 to 10 things, using brief bullet points.”
In two seconds ChatGPT gave the following bullet points (these were followed by brief explanations that I am leaving out here).
Increased mindfulness and focus
Reduction in stress and anxiety
Enhanced emotional regulation
Greater compassion
Improved well-being
Better mental clarity
Lower rates of depression
Reduced chronic pain
Increased resilience
That’s an impressive list, delivered with succinctness and reliability. I doubt that you could talk to an actual Buddhist who would improve on this answer. Every item on the list serves as an opening for more questions, exploring as deeply as you wish to go. In nine bullet points the whole world of Buddhism has opened up.
That brings us to the most exciting possibility of all, using AI in the role of guru. In the book, I consider this the culmination of the highest potential that AI holds out spiritually. AI doesn’t have a soul, but the word “guru” in Sanskrit implies a transition from darkness to light. In literal terms, a guru is an enlightened spiritual guide. AI might seem like a poor imitation at first glance, but it can impart spiritual guidance at any time on call, which is an enormous advantage.
You can ask for guidance on the negative side, meaning those traits or beliefs that are holding you back, or on the positive side, meaning those traits you want to develop like compassion, loving kindness, and insight. An AI guru is just as accessible as an AI friend. The book supplies many more details, but even without in-depth discussion, you can see that AI achieves what might seem impossible< a machine that can help raise your consciousness.
DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, FRCP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a whole health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 90 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution for the last thirty years. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Digital Dharma: How to Use AI to Raise Your Spiritual Intelligence and Personal Well-Being. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.” www.deepakchopra.com
