Confession (#26)

If only Fortune Cookies
actually foretold the future.

Okay, I skipped a week of blogging. Slips not slides. By the way, if you want to know the source of that phrase, check out I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I am not a usual consumer of the memoir genre, however, this one was worth it. For the record, my reaction to the book in no way reflects my current relationship with my own mother.

But, now I am back. This post will begin with a fortune cookie. Because, why not? Okay, I am struggling to start the writing process, and I need a bit of  motivation. Short steps, not long marathons. That came from me. Of course, what better source of inspiration is there than the slip of paper inside a stale cookie?

My last fortune, which was only a week ago, read: "Your aspirations will have a chance to be realized." Now, that sounds great. If there is nothing I lack for are dreams, goals, and wishes. That part is covered. But, achieving them requires a bit of ambition and effort. That is the second part, the one I need in abundance, and soon.

A month before, I received the following from a cookie: A lifetime of breathtaking scenery is in store. Oh, I love exploring beautiful landscapes! Perhaps there is a trip in my future? Although I have begun hiking the local nature preserve, and there are some inspiring views throughout it, so maybe the scenery is closer to home.

And these cheap, tasteless predictions start to get interesting. Just a week before that one, I discovered this fortune: November is a time for new beginnings. Okay, two things. First, a week between Chinese takeout meals is a bit too brief. But, in my defense, my wife went out of town for two straight weeks. Second, do I really need to wait eight months for something to begin?

You will have to go back to late February in order to find the first two insightful fortunes. Yes, I received a two for one, which means they are extra special. Apparently, “A lifetime of harmonious relationships is yours to nurture” and “A new outlook will brighten your image.” Wow, how did I get so lucky? However, notice the first one requires a bit of effort on my part, while the second one involves a personal change.

(Now, I did order Chinese food back in early January, and I ended up with two fortune cookies, mostly because nobody in this house eats them—you have to ingest the bland things if you want the words inside to have any affect! Hey, we all carry at least one irrational belief. Note, “Tonight, you’ll be the voice of reason” never happened, neither did “Good news is on the way.” While the latter is a bit vague on timing, there is still a statute of limitations to these things. Therefore, it also does not count.)

Finally, we arrive at November 7th. No, it was not Election Day. I just checked--nothing that prophetic ever happens to me. Also, I probably did order Chinese takeout at some point, possibly more than twice, between that moment and the new year. Most likely, there were not any memorable fortunes worth sharing. But, the two I did receive reflect a lot upon my current situation. The first cookie I opened had advice: "Stay informed about current technology trends." The second, provided a prediction: "A moment of clarity is coming soon."

So, taken in reverse, this is what I have so far. Technology is changing the world at a mind numbing pace, and I need to start paying attention. If I spend some time focused on it, there will be a moment of clarity. This will involve new and positive relationships and opportunities, but only if  I am willing to change. And, I may have to wait until November 2026 to experience them. Meanwhile, enjoy the scenic views. Finally, at some point along the way, or perhaps long after, my goals (how many, it is not clear), will be realized.

Cool. But there is a catch, besides fortune cookies being just cheap strips of paper inside fake cookies. For some time, I have been reflecting on AI. Now, I know the term is a mislabel. I do not see any evidence of some Skynet rising up and destroying humans, or even enslaving them. However, these LLMs,, current state of AI, pose a different problem. Others have covered the consequences for all aspects of our existence far better than I ever could, so I will not expand on it now. Instead, I have spent way too much time analyzing what it means for me personally. And, I do not like my conclusions.

At the pace these LLMs are advancing, within my lifetime, anyone will be able to type in a description of a novel, film, or video game, and receive, within a week, perhaps just a few days, a workable, entertaining product. Now, the process may require a human to step in and clean up the text, images, or code, but those workers will be expected to work long, hard hours, and do it all for low wages. But make no mistake, the final product will be “good enough”. And, if you doubt that “good enough” is in fact “good enough”, look at the current state of television, film, books, games, etc. Heck, look at your own media consumption. And, be honest. Seriously, the market is already saturated by human-created objects of low quality. LLMs are flooding it further. Once they get good enough, they will saturate the market to the point where just a fraction of the current best-selling human creators will be able to make any money, or stand out. Even they will take advantage of what LLMs have to offer. New authors, filmmakers, and programmers will have to either be currently famous and influential, become utterly unique, or behave horribly absurd, in order to be noticed. I am not the the first one, nor the second, and I  refuse to become the third one.

And, as a middle-aged person, who is not skilled enough to stand out from the current authors and artists, but desires an opportunity to publish something someday, it freaks me out a bit. Doing it just for yourself will only get you so far. There is something inspiring about having an audience that admires and respects your creative work. 

Yet, according to my fortune cookies, I have nothing to fear, as long as I study this new technology, build new relationships, and change myself.     

With that, I will end this week’s blog post.

But not the blog.

(To be continued...)