Eckhart Tolle argues that AI, no matter how advanced, will never possess true consciousness because consciousness is not something a machine can generate. Constant screen time clutters the mind and damages relationships with people and nature. He recommends device-free periods at meals and meditation to reclaim inner space.
Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are topics receiving a great deal of interest. What is your view of this new phenomenon? Will computers take over our perceptions of reality? Well, we are— I believe this is the first generation that's growing up now with continuous access to smartphones and other devices. On the whole, so far, obviously these are incredible things that are created by the human mind, They have great potential for good, but also enormous potential for the opposite. We don't know yet what effect this is going to have when this generation grows up, which is happening, already beginning to happen. What effect this will have on human consciousness, the fact that these children grow up with continuous interaction with the digital world and sometimes don't play anymore, but very much outdoors. Even relationships become reduced to interactions through their smartphones and text messages and postings here and there on social media. It's affecting the way— the ability of humans to relate to other humans, to nature, And it continuously clutters up the mind with continuous input. In the past, children had periods when they didn't know what to do with themselves. They were just sitting there, 'I'm bored, what can I do now?' They had to come up with some— invent some games, play. Go out into nature. It doesn't happen anymore because many children are— whenever they're not doing something else, they're on their phones. And adults too, of course, but we're talking about the new generation that's growing up with this, basically growing up with a cluttered mind. However, there is potential there too. We need to be aware of the dangers, So we can counteract that. If you're a parent, then have an agreement about having certain periods of time in your family when you all agree that you do not use those devices, certainly at meal times, for example. You can learn meditation through your smartphone too, there you can get apps, apparently some are quite good, so you can— the very thing that before cluttered your mind can now help you find inner spaciousness, so that is possible too. These things need to be handled with great care. They can be destructive and can be helpful. At the moment, I see them as more destructive than helpful. There's certain elements that— where it can be converted into something helpful, but there's no predicting how this will affect the consciousness of humanity. Now, as to the question whether the artificial intelligence can become truly intelligent, because right now Artificial intelligence is not really intelligent yet. For limited activities, yes, maybe chess games and so on, but true intelligence is something else. Artificial intelligence is not conscious. It's, well, it's conscious in the same way that anything inanimate has a glimmer of consciousness, but it's not, it is not conscious in the same way that a human or even an animal is conscious. Will it ever become conscious? Perhaps if the— if it becomes complex enough, because the human brain is infinitely more complex than the most complex computer that we can build, but if the computers could become of such complexity that would be close to the human brain or even beyond, then I don't see it as them creating— they don't create consciousness in the same way that the brain does not create consciousness. They become a transmitter of consciousness, a focalization of consciousness. So consciousness could conceivably use computers, what we now know as computers, and express itself through that medium in the same way that it expresses itself through the human brain. The human brain facilitates a particular way for consciousness to express itself into this dimension. If you say that— some people are predicting that one day humans, or even one day soon, humans could download themselves onto a computer before they die, but they— people who predict these things have no idea what a human being truly is. They think a human being is a sum total of their memories and thoughts, but a human being is infinitely more than that. For you, it's important to make sure that you don't get addicted to these devices. It's very easy, and many people already are addicted without knowing it. Make sure there's still— there's spaciousness in your life. You don't always need to interact with your devices. Allow yourself moments when you're not doing and you're traveling somewhere or not doing anything, moments of simple contemplation. Contemplate the world around you. Be aware of yourself as consciousness while you sit or stand or walk. Be spacious.
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