AI & the Story of the Universe
Hi there, ✋
I’m Miguel, living in Barcelona, nice to meet you! This year has been full of breakthroughs and new accomplishments in the Artificial Intelligence (aka AI) domain. We have multiple companies, which are testing the waters by allowing all interested communities to play around with their newly launched AI generative models (e.g. DALL·E 2 — OpenAI; GPT-3 — OpenAI; Notion AI feature; Stable Diffusion — Stability.Ai; Midjourney; etc). 🤖🧠
This has been great, because we can have a taste of MAGIC, and we all can start to wonder where it will go from here. We can see that we are in the early stages of this new technology, and that it will take some time to see mass adoption… Plus, regulation will catch-up at some point and push the break a little bit, as we have witnessed looking back in history.
Quick tangent: related to tech regulation, the example that is running around these days: it’s when the first cars were replacing horses in the streets, and governments pushed for laws where you had to disassemble the engine when you encountered a horse — tbh, it would be much cooler if everyone still riding horses to work eheh (here). 🐴
Btw: Maybe you like to read weird stuff too. I have other small, quick to read, and curious posts on my profile that may interest you ➡️ Miguel Parente
Regardless, right now we have tech savvy people who are already taking advantage of these new tools to be an extra 10% more productive, and we have another group of people (like me), who are just amazed with the potential of AI and feel inspired by all of it. 🌌
Talking about inspiration, throughout the years there was no other source of inspiration like looking up into the sky and wonder about everything we don’t know in the Universe.
It’s a fact that old civilizations were great astronomers, which allowed them to plan seasons and find travelling guidance. Moreover, every astronaut tells us about the “overview effect” when looking back to that small blue dot in the vast dark space.
Researchers have characterized the effect as “a state of awe with self-transcendent qualities, precipitated by a particularly striking visual stimulus”. (here)
For me, the inspiration comes from the feeling of humbleness & curiosity to understand our tiny, tiny place in the great scheme of the Universe.
Not too long ago I posted a Medium blog about “AI & the Story of Exploration” (here), but this time around, I want AI to help me to go deeper into space… as Buzz Lightyear said it best: “To infinity…. and Beyond”!! 🚀
Quick disclosure: please bare in mind, that I’m no expert on AI topics, and that these exercises are just for fun & game’s purpose.
Furthermore, I will not bother you with all the details & logistics upon the AI Stories exercises — you can find the full extent of it in the first medium post (here).
So… Let’s play
TL;DR: I’m leveraging two different AI generative tools, both from OpenAI, one to generate the cool looking pictures (DALL·E — here), and the other one to immerse ourselves in a new story and/or theme (GPT-3 — here).
📏 Guidelines & Rules — on how to differentiate “me” from “AI”:
Paragraph style ➡ it’s written by yours truly
Normal text ➡ it’s the AI magic
Asking AI about the Universe
What is the Universe?
The universe is the entirety of space and time, and all the objects that exist within it. It is thought to have originated in a massive explosion known as the Big Bang, which occurred about 13.8 billion years ago. Since then, the universe has been expanding and evolving, with galaxies forming and evolving, stars being born and dying, and new planets and other objects emerging.
The universe is vast and complex, containing more than 100 billion galaxies, each containing millions or billions of stars. It is thought to be governed by a few fundamental laws and principles, including the laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, and the laws of gravity. Despite all that we have learned about the universe, there are still many mysteries and questions that remain unanswered.
Although we have discovered and learned a lot about the Universe, there are still unknowns and mysteries to explore?
Yes, that is correct. Although we have made tremendous progress in our understanding of the universe, there are still many mysteries and unknowns that remain to be explored.
The universe is a vast and complex place, and there is much that we do not yet understand about its origins, evolution, and ultimate fate. For example, we do not yet have a complete understanding of the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which are thought to make up the majority of the universe’s mass and energy. We also do not yet know whether there is life on other planets, or what the ultimate fate of the universe will be.
These and many other questions continue to captivate the curiosity of scientists and researchers, and they provide a rich source of mysteries and opportunities for exploration and discovery.
What have we dicovered about the Universe?
Over the centuries, humans have made many discoveries about the universe, as we have sought to understand its origins, evolution, and structure. Some of the key discoveries about the universe include the following:
- The universe is vast and complex, containing more than 100 billion galaxies, each containing millions or billions of stars.
- The universe is expanding and evolving, with galaxies forming and evolving, stars being born and dying, and new planets and other objects emerging.
- The universe is thought to have originated in a massive explosion known as the Big Bang, which occurred about 13.8 billion years ago.
- The universe is thought to be governed by a few fundamental laws and principles, including the laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, and the laws of gravity.
- The universe is thought to contain a significant amount of dark matter and dark energy, which are not visible but can be inferred from their gravitational effects on other objects.
- The universe may contain other habitable planets, and it is possible that there is life on other planets beyond Earth.
These are just a few examples of the many discoveries that have been made about the universe. As our technology and understanding continue to advance, we are likely to make many more exciting discoveries about the universe in the future.
What have we discovered recently about the Universe?
As a large language model trained by OpenAI, I do not have the ability to access the internet or other external sources of information, so I am unable to provide information about recent discoveries about the universe.
As you may know, the field of astrophysics and cosmology is rapidly advancing, with new discoveries being made all the time.
Some of the key areas of recent research and discovery in the field of astronomy include the search for habitable exoplanets, the study of dark matter and dark energy, and the exploration of the early universe using instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to try to answer them to the best of my ability based on the information I have been trained on.
Should we continue to explore the Universe?
Whether or not we should continue to explore the universe is a complex and subjective question, and different people may have different opinions on the matter. Some possible arguments for continuing to explore the universe are as follows:
- Exploration can increase our knowledge and understanding of the universe, which can have numerous benefits for humanity. For example, studying other planets and galaxies can provide valuable insights into the origins and evolution of the universe, and can help us to better understand the laws and principles that govern the universe. This knowledge can help us to make more informed decisions about the future of humanity and our place in the universe.
- Exploration can also have practical benefits for humanity, such as the development of new technologies and the discovery of new resources. For example, studying other planets and moons can help us to develop new space exploration technologies, which can have numerous applications on Earth, such as in the fields of transportation, communication, and medicine. Additionally, studying other planets and moons can help us to identify potential sources of valuable resources, such as water, minerals, and other materials that can be used to support human life and activities.
- Exploration can also inspire and motivate people, by providing a sense of adventure and discovery. Exploring the universe can spark the imagination and curiosity of people of all ages, and can inspire us to think about the big questions and mysteries of the universe. This can help to foster a sense of wonder and awe, and can provide a sense of meaning and purpose to our lives.
Can you write me a verse about the Universe?
Here is a verse about the universe:
The universe is vast and boundless,
A never-ending expanse of space,
With galaxies and stars so countless,
It fills the mind with awe and grace.
From the smallest particles of matter,
To the largest galaxies and quasars,
The universe is a wondrous tapestry,
Of beauty and complexity beyond compare.
It holds the secrets of our origins,
And the mysteries of our future fate,
As we explore its boundless horizons,
We are humbled by its enormity and weight.
So let us marvel at the universe,
And all its wonders and its splendor,
For in its depths and in its verse,
Lies a beauty that we can never fully render.
…THE END 📖
Happily ever after?
Yeahhhh… you are right, it’s a bummer that OpenAI does not let the AI engine explore the more recent events in the Universe domain — for sure, they have these guard rails in place for a good cause!
Nevertheless, we can see initial hints of the potential of AI tools like this and imagine how far they will go in the future.
One thing is certain, I would never come up with a verse like this in less than 2 seconds. 🤯
Please, let me know down in the comments, what are for you the biggest mysteries of the Universe.
Thanks! ❤
Carve-out (acquired.fm style): if you read this far, for sure you are interested in all things AI, therefore I will give you an extra nugget.
I first heard about Vana portrait because of Packy McCormick, and he was completely right that the results were nothing less than extraordinary.
Portrait” by Vana is a generative art studio that can create self-portraits of you in infinite styles.
It’s free and simple to use, so give it a try (here).
Here my cyberpunk look eheh. 😹
