There apparently might be possible connections between two particular very different and presumably existentially unrelated topics that are of interest in these forums. A very interesting new blog thread by the well-known afterlife pundit Michael Tymn, is on the subject of apparent parallels between the literary capabilities of current advanced AI (ChatGPT) and the extraordinary paranormal literary outpourings of talented medium Pearl Curran, as "Patience Worth". (at http://whitecrowbooks.com/michaeltymn/en...telligence )
Tymn experimented with ChatGPT and was struck by its capabilities.
Tymn then speculated on the certain apparent degree of connection or relatedness between these two very different feats.
Of course, no human-created AI existed in the 1920s when Curran was doing her work, but there always can be speculations about advanced alien civilizations and the like. This may appear preposterous on the surface, but it is food for thought, at the very least.
Tymn experimented with ChatGPT and was struck by its capabilities.
Quote:"Overall, I was impressed with the speed and the “personality” of AI when correcting “itself” and apologizing for an error, or elaborating on certain subjects. I was especially impressed by its ability to add information when asked for more detail about the person or subject matter. What was most impressive, however, was the fact that AI could do more than recite facts; it could create. I could give it a half-dozen characteristics of a certain person and ask it to give me a poem about the person with those words in it, and it would provide a creative poem within seconds.
The poems brought to mind the Patience Worth phenomenon, often discussed at this blog (See blog for June 17, 2013 in archives). For those not familiar with the story, Patience Worth claimed to be a 17th century English woman communicating through the mediumship of Pearl Curran, a St. Louis, Missouri housewife with no more than an elementary-school education (bottom right photo). Over a period of nearly 25 years, As stated in my entry for the PSI Encyclopedia, Patience Worth dictated some four-million words, including seven books, some short stories, several plays, thousands of poems, and countless epigrams and aphorisms, through Curran."
Tymn then speculated on the certain apparent degree of connection or relatedness between these two very different feats.
Quote:"Considering the fact that AI can turn out poems and other creative ideas much like Pearl Curran could, I began to wonder if Patience Worth could have been some form of artificial intelligence coming through Curran rather than a 17th century English woman communicating from another realm of existence."
Of course, no human-created AI existed in the 1920s when Curran was doing her work, but there always can be speculations about advanced alien civilizations and the like. This may appear preposterous on the surface, but it is food for thought, at the very least.