AI Family Concepts
His Questions / My Answers
John & Alex Fraim
Alice Coltrane / Translinear Light
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Introduction
John Fraim
The use of artificial intelligence for specific purposes of answering the most important questions it is asked. These are the questions from those data clusters of questions that AI has received. The AI system summarizes the questions into a type of medium or genre of question AI is asked by our content creator.
One of the important thing is to look for how rare a particular question is compared with the mass of others. This has an effect in elevating the status of a question in the AI status of the system. The rarer a question today, the more unique, and creative, imaginative, perhaps the more it needs answering in the first place from AI.
A type of “library” that creates current ideas about the world. Suggestions of other ways to live and work in the world which might benefit all people in a community. Of place. A village. Town. A city. A nation. An ideology seems necessary to add these days.
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It was floating around in my mind. Since Alex’s first note to me about the AI bedtime story he created with AI for my grandson Lukas. A six-year-old, German boy. The youngest of two. His older brother was Sebastian or Seby. Lukas and Seby. Alex owns a yoga studio in Friburg Germany and is a teacher also. He has studied two summers under the great Yoga Master Ayenger in Bombay when it was still called this.
I took his first story and put it to music and images and posted it to my Midnight Oil Studios site. (https://midnightoilstudios.org/2023/10/03/lukas-and-the-monster-of-the-misty-mountains/)
Adding my own images and music to the various images we pull from Google Images or his account on the MicroSoft systems of AI images. So many out there today to pull music and images from. Now testing Bing Images. There are many more out there today. The leading-edge company needs to be contacted. For what we need. Are looking for.
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AI for creating both text and images. To tell the bedtime stories my son creates for his son. Using ChatGPT. I have been adding images to the stories. First using Google “Image Search” Now, using Bing Images. Perhaps there are better ones out there for our purpose? Open to suggestions on this.
The larger vision of this whole thing. Parents might be able to employ AI in maintaining – and building – a more solid structure for the diverse families in America. Employing AI for answers to questions about unifying and not dividing the world.
Probably a good question to ask AI. The idea that parents can employ the use of AI to continue to spark the minds’ of their children. Of course, a threat to our current school systems which works to always extinguish any sparks in young minds. We all hear of the totalitarian possibilities of AI. Yet we hear little of the possibilities for a new type of freedom.
That’s why I think the two simple little stories sent to me by my son Alex are so important. Most importantly, as I argue below, I think he ask questions from the best (and right) area. The new, unique questions to AI that need to be asked AI. Maybe its great power waits for no more than this: someone who will ask the right question of AI. These questions come from a seeing the world more as questions than answers. Is it an indication of immaturity? Or great maturity?
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Those continuing questions in life. Those attempts to “see” the daily “unseen” of our world. Our culture. The reality of the world, unfiltered by digital communication. For example, make believe you lost your smartphone for a day and had to wander around the world without it.
You employ no digital way to receive information during this period. I imagine somewhat here the definition of a contemporary version of the ancient monks who separated themselves from the world so that they could see it in a new way.
The leading questions of this “separationist” group from current culture could be gathered together and then questions asked to an AI system. As argued below, the right questions in the coming years will be much more important than answers from these questions.
Of course, this is difficult for Western culture to feel, see or understand. For, as I discuss below, Western culture has always been more interested in providing answers rather than questions. It’s an important question maybe falling under that almost obscure are of phenomenology.
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That is, the new science of asking the “right” questions rather than providing the “right” answers.
The idea that questions rather than answers might be more important in the coming era of AI. Can a culture change from providing answers to one or asking questions?
Presenting questions rather than answers to the world. The belief that the power of AI will be released when emerging new intelligences are simply asked the right questions from humans. Many of them – perhaps – have simply been waiting to answer these questions which were such important ones.
The current use of the two pieces of AI content representing two bedtime stories for his son Lukas. Alex is sending me the text and I’m making short videos of it. Adding images and various text to the video. The perspective from a shift in view from western science as providing answers to the different (opposite?) one of asking questions. Marshall McLuhan called questions really “probes” and this is the best way to understand his method of media analysis. Always pushing and poking. Probing some topic with questions rather than answers.
Anyway, the below is what we have so far.
A short little film made from Alex’s idea of a bedside story for Lukas.
Now, a second one in the making.
Are there things more important than putting AI to use in helping grow the imagination of a young person today? The below concept based around this particular philosophy of life.
10/10/23
Hi Dad,
I am using ChatGPT to write bedtime stories for Lukas now, defining the details and the morals that I want the stories to convey. Check it out:
Lukas and the Monster of the Misty Mountains.
Alex
* * *
Lukas had grown a bit older since his adventures with the Sunshine Gun and the friendly ghosts. He was now a courageous young boy known throughout the town for his bravery and compassion. One sunny morning, as Lukas gazed at the towering Misty Mountains in the distance, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Rumors had spread through the town of a menacing monster that dwelled deep within the Misty Mountains. It was said to be enormous, with eyes that glowed like fiery embers and a roar that shook the earth. This creature had been causing fear and chaos among the villagers for far too long, and Lukas knew it was time to put his bravery to the test.
With determination in his heart, Lukas decided to set out on a journey to confront the monster. He didn’t have his Sunshine Gun this time, but he carried with him the lessons of compassion and bravery that he had learned from his previous adventures. Armed only with a lantern and his unwavering spirit, he ventured into the heart of the Misty Mountains.
The path was treacherous, filled with mist so thick it seemed to swallow everything in its path. Lukas’s lantern cut through the gloom, casting eerie shadows on the towering trees and jagged rocks. The air grew colder, and the forest grew still as he neared the heart of the mountains.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the trees, and the ground shook beneath Lukas’s feet. Emerging from the mist, the monstrous creature appeared. It was even more terrifying than the tales had described, with sharp claws, scales like armor, and those fiery eyes that glared at Lukas.
Fear gripped Lukas for a moment, but he remembered the lessons of compassion and bravery. He knew that violence was not the answer. Instead, he took a step forward, held out his lantern, and spoke with a firm but kind voice, “I know you’re scared and angry, but I won’t hurt you. What’s troubling you?”
To Lukas’s surprise, the monstrous creature paused, its fiery eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sadness. Slowly, it began to speak, revealing a story of loneliness and isolation. The creature had been misunderstood and feared by the villagers for years, and it had lashed out in anger as a result.
Lukas listened with compassion, and he understood that the monster’s actions were driven by pain. He knew that violence wouldn’t solve the problem. Instead, he extended a hand of friendship, inviting the monster to come out of the mountains and be part of the town’s community.
With time and patience, Lukas helped the monster integrate into the town, showing the villagers that compassion and understanding could overcome even the most fearsome of adversaries. The once-menacing creature became a gentle protector of the Misty Mountains, using its strength to keep the area safe.
Lukas’s bravery had not been in fighting the monster but in showing kindness and compassion when it was needed most. He had turned a fearsome adversary into a cherished friend, teaching the townsfolk that sometimes, understanding and empathy could conquer even the mightiest of challenges.
And so, the Misty Mountains were no longer a place of fear, but a symbol of the power of compassion, bravery, and friendship, all thanks to a courageous boy named Lukas.
The end.
* * *
Lukas and the Monster of the Misty Mountains
AI Programming by Alex Fraim
Images & Music & Film by John Fraim
Music by Sergie Prokofiev
(Played by The Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra)
John Fraim
Today, towards the end of 2023, AI has become a scary word for many as many are worried that it will take over the world. What, though, if it has much gentler purposes such as taking over the creation of bedtime stories and fairytales that parents can tell their children to convey morals, ideas and feelings to them in new ways?
The above is an attempt to do just this by my son Alex who used ChatGPT to write “Lukas and the Monster of the Misty Mountains” for his six-year-old son Lukas. I copied his words into the film program on my Mac computer, putting the words of the story on placards based around the paragraphs of the story. The story stops as Lukas confronts the monster in paragraph 6 which starts with “Fear gripped Lukas …” I note To be Continued.
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All of this so far is simply a quick test of the concept of writing modern bedtime fairytales using ChatGPT and a way to show others this idea for their input. There are several things that could be changed to make the story more exciting.
For one, I used Google image search to pull in the images (except for the two I have of Lukas and my son Chris reading to Lukas). Much more effective would be to use an AI program to pull in the images rather than Google image search. There are many of these programs today and the first place to look might be on the Top AI Tools website at … https://topai.tools/s/AI-image-search-engine.
Another change might be in adding narration of the story rather than putting the words on placards. With words read on a voice-over, images can go with them, and the reader is not faced with slowing down the story by reading a number of words against a black space.
An additional change might be in asking AI programs to write the music for the story. Here, I used parts of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s famous Peter and the Wolf. Peter and the Wolf Op. 67, is a “symphonic fairy tale for children,” written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children’s story, while the orchestra illustrates it by using different instruments to play a “theme” that represents each character in the story. It is Prokofiev’s most frequently performed work and one of the most frequently performed works in the entire classical repertoire. However, in the above video, it is chopped up much more than I would want it to be but seems appropriate in many ways for background music of the story. AI music might do a much better job at this than me.
Just a few thoughts on a new type of use for that “scary monster with red eyes” most adults see today as AI. Maybe it somewhat like that monster that Lukas confronts when he goes on his brave journey to save his village.
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Right now, these are little more than thoughts started by the email from my oldest son Alex about a potential use for AI. Outside the destruction and rule of the world like the theme of the new film The Creator and it’s setting a few hundred years in the future. (After viewing review of film here).
The film offers the extremely negative result of the current AI revolution leading a new tech paradigm. A new field of technology related to learning and thinking. Who will be the new Elon Musk, Zuckerburg, Belos, Gates or Sergei Brin and Jeff Page. Of course, Steve Jobs always in the background and more of a medium than anything else. The subliminal connection to someone like Jobs and his computers and technology in my life. Like an ever-present soft elevator music everywhere like smells of strong night flowers in the wind. The smells of the flowers around my mother’s home in Palm Desert through the years.
The current leading technology firms in the world. All electronic communication is now controlled by the company that sells the leading AI system and has either bought all the competitors and knocked them out of the AI business. A ruthless new battle for the AI industry with the major tech companies of today somewhat like the other car companies around the time Henry Ford built his first car. They all merged. Somewhat like all the smaller railroads when Huntington created one great railroad that bought all the small lines up. In the same way all the media outlets are continually consolidated into fewer and fewer.
My guess what the theme of tomorrow’s blockbuster of the season (perhaps the year or decade). There are raves everywhere about its spectacular visual effects from The Hollywood Reporter or Variety. The script somewhat questionable but believable, since this far in the future leaves lots of questions the audience tends to give a pass to.
In this world, AI has taken over and a person called The Creator controls most all the AI on the planet. The Creator uses AI most effectively to increase power over the populace. A few decide to revolt against this.
* * *
One should see that the medium the Hollywood elite see the future of AI as a method of control rather than of freedom. There has been a huge revolution and AI will take over the world someday. Such if the firm belief of those few who rule over the millions in the nation. Politicians and the grand media of the day. The Netflix Series philosophy of distributing television programming today offers the possibilities of extended programming over seasons and then years.
Congressmen, senators, governors and mayors. City school board members. The city council. Ultimately, the nation’s President.
Many elected officials promote and support the fatalistic Hollywood view of what the future of AI will look like. A film like The Creator is a excellent type of cinematic growing area, a fertile environment, for growing the minds of young people. And young artists. Always different from so many of the other kids in school.
* * *
With the above thoughts in mind, I created the short video based on Alex’s email containing the AI text of the story he created (Or con-created? Whatever.) with ChatGPT. Alex’s short post and story makes all the sense in the world to me, and I am so proud that he is using it in such a small personal, family, way for the benefit of his son. Not trying to change the world. Control global commerce. Here, the purpose is to turn away from Hollywood scenarios about the future of AI like The Creator. Turning away from means turning inward, for exploring the depths of personality is always more insightful than just exploring the surface areas.
It is significant that Alex finds a use for AI that offers the symbol of personal freedom by incorporating the power of AI into his family. Here, a use of AI suggested that focuses away from the media propaganda about AI (as in The Creator) and inward to one’s locality in life. That is, that moment called the Present. Be Here Now. As one book said.
Alex sparks an idea in my mind. An idea from Alex’s original idea about using AI to create bedtime fairy tale stories for young children today. Alex had discussed AI with me on the Mexican cruise in August. I was impressed how much he knew about it. It was ready to take over the world Alex was arguing.
* * *
One of the key goals of this particular use of AI would be to make a family stronger. Closer together. More connected to members of the family through online family histories and biographies. At least this was an idea fermenting in my mind about this overwhelming AI info input today. Alex’s email to me with the story crystalized the idea and gave it life for me.
Here, starting out using a bedtime story Alex has created for his son Lukas using AI. A way of relaying a message to a child using the help of AI to create something new. Modeled to one’s child. Modern fairly tales using AI created for families? This seemed such a natural extension of what Alex had sent with his story.
Tonight Lukas said, “I’d like a story about Lukas and a walking flower.” This is what ChatGPT came up with in a few seconds:
**Lukas and the Walking Flower**
In a sunlit glade where the wildflowers grew, young Lukas loved to spend his afternoons. One day, as he lay on the grass, a peculiar sight caught his eye: a flower was walking! It had tiny little legs that wobbled as it moved.
Lukas, curious, approached the flower and said, “Hello there! I’ve never seen a walking flower before!”
The flower looked up, blinking its petal-eyelashes. “Hello, Lukas. I’m Flora, the Walking Flower. I was given legs by a kind fairy so I could explore the world.”
Lukas, always up for an adventure, offered, “Would you like to explore together?”
With a happy nod, Flora and Lukas set off, venturing into the woods. They climbed hills, crossed babbling brooks, and played hide-and-seek among the trees. Flora showed Lukas places where the rarest flowers bloomed, and in return, Lukas introduced Flora to his animal friends.
One day, they stumbled upon a clearing where the ground was barren. “This used to be full of flowers,” Flora said sadly, “but they’ve all gone.”
Lukas had an idea. “Why don’t we plant some seeds and bring it back to life?”
With Flora’s knowledge and Lukas’s hard work, they transformed the barren land. Days turned into weeks, and soon, the clearing was a burst of colors with flowers of all shapes and sizes.
Flora, overjoyed, danced among the blossoms. Seeing her happiness, a group of fairies who had been watching approached them. “For your kindness and hard work, we’d like to grant you both a wish.”
Flora wished to have her flower friends gain the ability to walk, just like her. Lukas wished for a never-ending supply of seeds, so he could always bring life to barren lands.
The fairies granted their wishes, and soon, walking flowers became a common sight in the meadows, with Lukas and Flora leading their vibrant parades.
From then on, the duo became legends in the forest, leaving trails of blossoming wonders wherever they went, showing everyone that with a little love and care, magic could sprout from the ground.
Lukas and the Walking Flower
AI Question by Alex Fraim
Images, Music & Film by John Fraim
John Fraim
Lukas and the Walking Flower
Alex & ChatGPT 10/13/23
Tonight Lukas said, “I’d like a story about Lukas and a walking flower.” This is what ChatGPT came up with in a few seconds:
**Lukas and the Walking Flower**
In a sunlit glade where the wildflowers grew, young Lukas loved to spend his afternoons. One day, as he lay on the grass, a peculiar sight caught his eye: a flower was walking! It had tiny little legs that wobbled as it moved.
Lukas, curious, approached the flower and said, “Hello there! I’ve never seen a walking flower before!”
The flower looked up, blinking its petal-eyelashes. “Hello, Lukas. I’m Flora, the Walking Flower. I was given legs by a kind fairy so I could explore the world.”
Lukas, always up for an adventure, offered, “Would you like to explore together?”
With a happy nod, Flora and Lukas set off, venturing into the woods. They climbed hills, crossed babbling brooks, and played hide-and-seek among the trees. Flora showed Lukas places where the rarest flowers bloomed, and in return, Lukas introduced Flora to his animal friends.
One day, they stumbled upon a clearing where the ground was barren. “This used to be full of flowers,” Flora said sadly, “but they’ve all gone.”
Lukas had an idea. “Why don’t we plant some seeds and bring it back to life?”
With Flora’s knowledge and Lukas’s hard work, they transformed the barren land. Days turned into weeks, and soon, the clearing was a burst of colors with flowers of all shapes and sizes.
Flora, overjoyed, danced among the blossoms. Seeing her happiness, a group of fairies who had been watching approached them. “For your kindness and hard work, we’d like to grant you both a wish.”
Flora wished to have her flower friends gain the ability to walk, just like her. Lukas wished for a never-ending supply of seeds, so he could always bring life to barren lands.
The fairies granted their wishes, and soon, walking flowers became a common sight in the meadows, with Lukas and Flora leading their vibrant parades.
From then on, the duo became legends in the forest, leaving trails of blossoming wonders wherever they went, showing everyone that with a little love and care, magic could sprout from the ground.
Comments
The second AI ChatGPT generated story by my son Alex from the suggestion of a story idea by his young son. The text is generated from (the words of) his request to AI. Everyone thinks that AI will have all the answers for us in the future. Yet the real power of AI will come from the few that can ask AI the right questions first. A whole new form of breakout language from English and Scientific vocabularies and dictionaries to create this language of questions rather than answers.
Much of course like the Eastern world as one of questions while the Western world has always grown from being one of answers rather than questions. Answers of course involves the Masculine Archetype while Questions involves the Feminine Archetype. Answers are always McLuhan’s definition for really “messages” or content of the world. In opposition to the “medium” ir container of messages. Defining the true, rather hidden medium behind all of the messages of culture gets harder and harder as daily media continues to bombard us with more of a virtual than real world.
There is little control over the populace when they move into the “real” world. They desire to receive fewer electronic messages of communication. Of course this is hard to cut off these messages. Something that very few have been able to do. Hard but perhaps not totally impossible. I move through the world with this philosophy of life. You know it and I know of yours and this has always seemed to be something at the core of our friendship over the years. Never really tried to define. It would have been like a fish trying to define water.
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Anyway, the above presents my son’s use of the Internet to use AI to create bedside stories for his son Lukas. They live in Germany so one can imagine what types of monsters and things one might conjure within the culture of Germany. It’s the second piece in this series he has started. I have worked with Alex in created a short film of an AI concept based on his and my ideas.
You be the judge.