Lesson 59 · Original 2024 edition

Driving Like AI

About this edition

The teaching below preserves the original book’s wording, with page footers and layout whitespace removed. The AI practice and reflection are new adaptations.

Driving is used here as a metaphor for how you approach work. This adaptation is for a work session, not for use while operating a vehicle. The source’s characterization of AI as unbiased is the author’s perspective; the exercise asks you to examine outputs rather than assume their neutrality or correctness.

Historical and scientific claims in the source have not yet undergone a complete evidence review.

Source teaching · Alex Julian, 2024

The original lesson

In the Tao Te Ching, we are asked to learn from nature. How does nature behave? Can you be adaptable like water? Can you be simultaneously strong and flexible like a tree bending with the wind? Can you be like the sun, and give light and warmth to everyone — excluding no one? There is a lot to learn from nature, and there is a lot to learn from AI.

I hate to admit it, but being overemotional and overthinking have been huge personal problems in my life. Yoga has helped a lot with this, but I still overthink some things to this day. I still get emotional about things that aren’t important. Something I admire so much about AI is the logic and ability to act with precision and speed. I’ve spent so much of my life procrastinating. My first book is a great example of this. I had the idea for so long, but it took forever to finally write it down. Even during the writing process, I had days where I was seemingly too busy to write, or other days where I just didn’t feel like it. Then, I look at ChatGPT. You can ask it to write anything, and it does it in a matter of seconds. I was so amazed and impressed by this. I know I will never be that fast, but it was a powerful visual of creative potential when you aren’t hindered by things like emotions and overthinking.

Another thing I love is the ability of AI to bring everything together. Not only is this a significant aspect of what yoga is about, but I also believe it is where a lot of genius is found. For the most part, AI is unbiased and this allows it to pulls things together that maybe would be blocked in a human mind because it goes against one of your belief systems.

What am I getting at here? I don’t want to be AI. I want to always be me. However, there are a lot of aspects of AI that I do want to emulate. It inspires me to be more logical and make less excuses. AI inspires me to be more open, as well as try to bring things together in new and unique ways.

New contemporary AI application

Try it in your next AI session.

Choose a small creative task you have been postponing. Ask your AI tool for a first draft or two approaches, then review them with your own purpose and judgment. Make one concrete revision instead of waiting for a perfect starting point.

Reflect afterward

What useful action became possible once you had something to revise?

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Developed with AI assistance for this digital edition. Reflect privately; nothing needs to be submitted or shared.

Music and teaching

The original song and video

This lesson’s original song and video will appear here once the recordings and their lesson match have been verified.