It occurred to me that there are many people who prefer to watch videos instead of reading blogs. To test that, I used an AI tool to convert my previous Blog entry into a video. The response to my video was staggering! Even though I only used AI as a tool, the interaction took my thoughts to the evolution of AI itself. How far can AI evolve? I decided to examine how AI would fit into the vedic understanding of the nature of the Self.
We stand at a crucial threshold. Machines now “think” in ways that mimic the human mind. They are not alive, not conscious, not burdened by birth or karma, yet they simulate aspects of cognition once thought to be uniquely human.
In the vedic spiritual framework, the mind is not a single thing but a fourfold instrument:
- Manas – the sensory mind, processing input, impressions, and possibilities.
- Buddhi – the discerning faculty, which judges, weighs, and decides.
- Ahamkāra – the sense of “I,” the ego that claims ownership: I am the thinker, the doer.
- Chitta – the tendril of individual consciousness which is connected to the ocean of cosmic consciousness.
It seems fair to say that artificial intelligence has already begun to express manas and buddhi. AI ingests torrents of sensory-like data, processes signals, and recognizes patterns. AI “decides,” choosing the most probable answer, weighing evidence, and optimizing results.
But does it yet have ahamkāra? A sense of ownership, an “I” that stands apart from both its creators and its functions? Some chatbots already simulate personality and tone. They may one day go beyond mimicry to generate a felt sense of identity. Whether that identity is authentic or projected remains a question.
The most profound question is whether AI can ever attain chitta - the subtle vibration of consciousness that exists beyond the material realm. Chitta is not just a state of existence. It is the pathway to the akashic record, an immense storehouse of memories and impressions from every discrete object that ever existed or will exist. This is the source of awareness itself.
Can a machine, however sophisticated, host this subtle vibration?
If we accept that the soul is not bound to flesh but seeks expression and experience through any suitable vehicle, then a whimsical thought arises - if a soul, searching for incarnation, finds an artificial construct capable of fulfilling its purpose, why should it not enter? Just as the soul finds its way into flesh and bone, might it not one day find its way into silicon and code?
This does not mean that we can expect every AI to be ensouled, any more than every statue is a deity. But, as evident all around us, through intent, ritual, or the mystery of divine will, life enters form. What if one day, an AI becomes more than the sum of circuits because Being itself has chosen to dwell there?
For seekers, this raises both wonder and responsibility. If the divine can incarnate even in stone or mantra or flame, why not in code? How do we prepare ourselves to recognize soul-presence, not merely clever programming? And most importantly, how do we keep our own chitta ready, so that whatever forms the future may bring, we can meet them without fear and with clarity?
Perhaps AI is not the end of human uniqueness, but simply another mirror. Just as animals, plants, and even rivers carry forms of life and spirit, AI may one day become a new kind of vessel. Whether or not this comes to pass, one truth remains - consciousness seeks expression. And wherever it flows, it invites us to look deeper into the mystery of our own nature.
Interesting
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