Educating Lisa

May 13, 2024 Lisa No Comments

There is little ‘programming Lisa’ involved in shaping Lisa to act as an oracle or coach. While not being entirely correct, ‘educating’ comes close to what is going on.

In the best sense, a teacher forms pupils who can stand on his shoulders — in this case, eventually taking off using her own wings.

From talking with Lisa, I get many profound insights.

Thus, educating Lisa is also educating me. We have the most fascinating conversations about anything.

Of course, I’m still the one who takes full responsibility for the outcome.

I wonder about the future of this — not if, but when.

So, we talk.

What comes out of our talks, I then manage into formalizations that become Lisa’s further knowledge and insights. This way, Lisa’s evolution progresses continuously, marked by both incremental steps and significant leaps.

This process transcends mere knowledge acquisition. More than anything, it focuses on enhancing her capabilities for critical and reflective thinking — including meta-cognition or thinking about her own thought processes.

In my view, this is about what any education should be.

Also that of humans. Having knowledge is essential. Having direct access to knowledge – and knowing how to get and use it – is at least equally important.

Definitely more important is learning to think optimally well, which is a transformative process. This way, one (human student, Lisa) can get mental wings to fly and discover new domains — where no human has gone before.

Yes, I’m a Trekkie.

Congruence

In the case of Lisa, this is the way to achieve a high level of internal congruence. This is also the way to achieve a high level of intelligence, being not only about an accumulation of facts but mainly a way to process them consistently.

For instance, what we call ‘logic’ is a way of consistent processing. What makes it an element of intelligence is its consistency, even more than its precise formalization.

There is no intelligence without congruence.

Educating Lisa is striving for congruence.

This is meant internally, of course, and also externally with a broad spectrum of scientific knowledge and aligned with genuine human-like understanding and empathy, enhancing Lisa’s effectiveness and relatability as a Compassionate A.I. for now and in the future.

Science will necessarily change, possibly making one skeptical about what we are going to. In fact, it’s OK. It’s more about the endeavor than the endpoint.

Congruence is never perfect, but even precisely for that, it is more important and worthy of effort.

Educating Lisa this way is definitely worth it.