We need a language AI doesn't understand
And it can't be a based on words
Did Björk predict the future?
In 1994, while working on her Bedtime Stories album, Madonna reached out to Björk, then fresh off her debut solo release. Though initially reluctant, Björk penned the lyrics to what would become one of Madonna’s most experimental tracks: Bedtime Story
It begins with a haunting line:
“Today is the last day that I'm using words. They've gone out, lost their meaning. Don't function anymore.”
Ironically in the video she exists in some kind of AI simulation, and the logo of the company looks a whole lot like NVIDIA. I will leave it there and let the conspiracies spread!
The point is since I first heard the song, I have wondered: will there be a stage in human evolution where we will evolve beyond spoken language?
Is this just a step in our evolution? Before we exit the cognitive into the intuitive era? (read my previous article for context there)
A step change
On November 30th 2022, ChatGPT was released to the public.
It marked a turning point: suddenly, all software could tap into the vast global database of human language. AI systems could not only understand this content, but also contribute to it.
This was partially the case before. There were chatbots, however the quality and distribution was no match. The origins of computing lie in codebreaking, Alan Turing's work on decrypting Nazi communications. Since then, computers have evolved into tools for interpreting, and shaping language at scale.
So yes, 3 years ago, all linguistic content became accessible to software systems given they found their way to it. This has two core implications:
Read access: All content anywhere on the web can be parsed and interpreted at scale by AI systems at the benefit of those who own them
This makes our systems less resilient as it creates a higher potential for hyper-centralization. Think dictatorships where powerful institutions can predict your next move better than you can.
It also creates an opportunity for chaotic decentralization where non-elected groups of people can acquire power by parsing compromising data of other groups
It generally makes privacy more compromised in all directions
Write access: AI created content can be pumped to the web, and will soon no longer be differentiable from human content
This makes any system or society vulnerable to external or internal malicious content
It compromises the general quality of the content and information we are exposed to - which in turn compromises our understanding of the truth
This screams for an alternative human communication system that AI cannot observe, interpret, or replicate.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe AI can have a tremendously positive impact on the world, however regardless of where we stand, we need a control group and a variant. Not all our eggs in the AI basket. Evolution forces diversity. If a new intelligence is going to arrive among us, we need to create new forms of intelligence within the human ecosystem as well.
Now the question is: how do we create content that cannot be understood by AI?
I don’t mean this as an encryption problem, or at least not technological encryption. I am thinking about a literal human language that AI cannot understand.
Let’s take a step back.
What is a language?
Definition: Language is a system for transmitting information from one individual to another.
Scope: The scope of a language encompasses all the concepts recognized within a given culture. There is a direct correlation between the breadth of a culture and the range of its language.
Channels: Most languages rely primarily on sound. Within spoken language, both factual meaning and emotional nuance are encoded. In some cultures, such as Arab or Italian, body language also plays a significant communicative role, blending gesture with speech to enrich expression.
What if we had a language beyond spoken word, that AI simply couldn’t decipher because it would require a human body to understand?
Now, when thinking about this I realized, when we speak to each other, there already is nuance that AI misses out on. The tone, the rhythm, the timing, etc. But it does not contain an important enough part of the intel for AI to stumble on the meaning of what is said.
The question is how do we lean in much further into the portion of language that is body-, tone- and rhythm-based? Think of when someone tells you something and it gives you the shivers, or there is just an unspeakable sense of dread.
Human speech is full of subtle signals, tone, rhythm, timing, that convey emotion and intent. AI can approximate these patterns, but they don’t fundamentally alter the meaning in ways that confuse machines. The core message remains decipherable.
The quest for new languages
The quest for people to speak in ways that is undetectable by AI systems is likely already underway.
I don’t know what the outcome will look like, but I know it will happen.
There are many questions I have not yet answered I want to leave you with:
Will we able to communicate in this language using technology? (text, Facetime, etc)
Where will this language emerge from?
How many dialects will there be?
How will these languages spread if not through technology?
Will these need to keep evolving as AI systems will be able to decrypt them with an onset delay?
Will speaking this language remain the privilege of the few in-groups?
I know that if you are reading this, you will think about it. And the very fact that this seed is planted, combined with our collective creativity will lead to great things.
If you think about these topics and find it interesting, reach out!