GPT And The Copernicus Syndrome

Clinging to convention in the face of innovation is where transformation begins.

We’ve all heard of Nicolaus Copernicus and his radical ideas. The common tale may be greater than the reality, but his lesson is clarion call that seems to grow in intensity and significance over time. Today, blasphemies come in many sizes, shapes—and the indictments are swift to follow. But as Copernicus taught us that the orthodoxy can be very wrong. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Copernicus was a Polish astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 15th and 16th centuries. He is best known for his heliocentric model of the solar system, in which he proposed that the Sun was at the center of the solar system and the Earth and other planets orbited around it. This idea challenged the longstanding belief that the Earth was the center of the universe, which was supported by the Catholic Church.

Copernicus did not publicly share his ideas until the publication of his book “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” (“On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”) in 1543, just before his death. The book was met with both praise and criticism from the scientific community and religious authorities. Copernicus, contrary to popular opinion, did not face much persecution from the Catholic Church during his lifetime, but some of his followers were later persecuted for their belief in his theories.

Yes, during that time, science and religion were not separated as they are today, and many scientific ideas were seen as challenging religious beliefs and teachings. The punishment for heresy, which was the crime of holding an opinion at odds with the official doctrine of the Catholic Church, could range from excommunication to imprisonment or even death.

So, what exactly is at the center of our universe?

The term “-centricity” seems to be attached to many ideas these days. From custom-centricity to brand-centricity, we seem to be driven by this new heliocentric perspective. We’ve certainly become tech-centric, and that’s the point.

Today’s teachers, scientists, and artists (to name a few) look at the emergence of technology—particularly GPT—as a fundamental threat to some immutable and sacrosanct carbon-based system. How can we “find the GPT-3 cheater” seems top of mind. When the reality is that we must begin to understand that AI occupies a center (I didn’t say THE center) of many aspects of humanity.

Yes, the era of techno-centricity has arrived and the shiny spot in the sky is artificial intelligence.

The next step — an inevitable step — is a cognitive change. Thinking is the new domain of technology and it lies at the top rung of our human skill set. Yet human inertia is a powerful force. Prior innovations shifted physical aspects of human performance like the bicycle and mechanical advantages but left much of the cognitive heavy lifting and philosophical musing for us humans to be debated in the laboratories, think tanks and even in our kitchens.

The inculcation of AI into humanity fundamentally changes the game. AI rips the innovation process apart — from a comfortable and accommodating adoption process — to something that is no longer functional and pragmatic but based upon the unique spark of human cognition.

That’s where we stand today as platforms like GPT-4 and Stable Diffusion knock at our front door. Some pretend not to be home while others open the door with the safety chain well-secured. It might be time to take another look at Copernicus and reconsider the gloom and doom outlooks for what might just be a very sunny day.