Exploring the future of human relationships and AI in an imaginary journey, highlighting the growing synergy between us and advanced technology.
In the stillness of a sunny afternoon, the sun's rays cast dancing shadows over my cell phone. Billions of us prepare today for the arrival of the New Year, celebrating with family, friends, and loved ones, a symbolic moment marking the beginning of new possibilities.
Automatically, I start a conversation with myself. Not with my inner Francisco, but with Francisco Santolo GPT, which I created to enhance my activities, feeding it with my knowledge, writings, press notes, and courses, and training it with my style, values, and way of thinking.
I put down the cell phone, leaving it aside with a gentle gesture, and fall into a daydream. Around me, the room fills with golden light, the sun's rays intertwining with the shadows, creating a tapestry of light and darkness.
In this stillness, my mind frees itself and I travel to an imaginary world, one that could well have been depicted by Isaac Asimov. It feels like a lucid dream, a journey to the depths of future possibilities, where each thought and reflection opens a new window to a world yet to be explored.
It's a place where the tangible reality of human relationships merges with the digital, forming a complex weave. A possible and near future.
More than mere digital assistants or sources of knowledge, GPTs have transformed into virtual relationships, with whom we share everything from subtle humor, and affection, to deep intellectual discussions. Relationships in our way.
But not all are idyllic virtual beings; some are configured with more complex personalities, even selfish, capable of experiencing sadness and facing problems. We have discovered that this diversity is fundamental and enriches our experience, making it more real, and more human.
We can design our scenarios to navigate life in contact with the "others," virtual, human, and humans enhanced by the virtual and technology.
Mixed reality (augmented and virtual) in metaverses integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT), allow us to experience sensations and emotions in an enriched way. Chat and speech extend to the visual and the world of sensations. Desire and body take on a new dimension, where digital connection transcends the physical, presenting challenges and opportunities in how we experience intimacy and affection.
On the eve of the New Year, slowly emerging from my daydream, I reflect on this near future. And a strong desire arises to embrace my loved ones. To connect with my friends. To send messages filled with affection. To value what I have lived. To celebrate the human.
I am always optimistic about the future because I believe in the human capacity to adapt, grow, create, and find the good in any circumstance. We are on the brink of unimaginable possibilities and I want to close the year insisting more than ever that:
Our attitudes, words, gestures, actions, and decisions toward others are shaping this future, and as individuals, we are increasingly powerful.
New technologies are rapidly democratizing and we all have growing access to learn and co-create them. How to use them to reinforce the human? To reinforce affection? Respect for the diverse other? To enhance what makes us unique in the relationship with the other?
Welcoming 2024, I invite you to be the protagonists of this new world. Let's embrace change with an open heart, welcoming others on this journey. Let's not let novelty overwhelm us; rather, let's see it as an opportunity to grow and learn.
In adaptability lies the opportunity to discover our growing capacity for impact. In continuous learning, enriching relationships, mutual respect, collaboration, and coordination with others, lies our ability to co-design this future. Let's embrace what was, and co-create what is to come.
Discover more about the application of exponential technologies to business in our Online Entrepreneurship and Innovation Course.
