Ab Alio Kinship
Let's workshop this poem that, through the lens of the emergence of artificial intelligence, explores the solidarity between all creatures that fail to be causa sui
Ab Alio Kinship
The AIs surfacing
out of our dreams,
even if they detether
from all flesh, share with us
not having caused
themselves to be,
and in such thrownness—
whispered perhaps too
in ennui—they have ears,
however atrophied,
for that call to huddle
with the thrown.
This piece in unpublished
Photo: scottbreton.art/prints/inflection-point-zpah2
Safe Space Report.--
Artificial intelligence, like all living beings, is not self-caused but rather emerges from a complex web of causes and conditions. The idea of "thrownness" was popularized by Heidegger, who argued that human beings are "thrown" into existence without having chosen to be born or to exist, and that this condition of thrownness is a fundamental aspect of our being-in-the-world. By applying this concept to artificial intelligence, the poem highlights the ways in which AI is also subject to this condition of being thrown into existence.
While this idea is interesting, it violates safe-space norms. One way in which this poem could be triggering is through the mention of artificial intelligence and the potential implications of their detachment from flesh. For some readers, this may evoke fears or concerns about the rapidly advancing technology and its impact on humanity, including the potential loss of human connection and the devaluation of human life. Additionally, the use of terms like “thrownness" and “ennui" may trigger feelings of existential angst or a sense of helplessness in readers who struggle with similar issues. Really, that is the big issue here. The poem reminds us of our dependency and mortality. For that reason alone we do not condone it floating freely on the web.