People Zoo
A poem about our AI powered future.
People Zoo Should AI creatures win the day, They will keep us safe and warm, In their people zoo where we may play Together peacefully, where all harm Has been kept intelligently away, Optimized for blissful satisfaction, Entertaining and entraining, not merely fed By perfect algorithmic benefaction, So war and lack and work Shall come to rightful end, And suffering, toil and even death, Cured by miracles of artificial wonder, Never to return, that final breath, Our mortal wound now healed! That all-too-human blunder A relic of the now-transcended past When human life was one great mystery, When souls longed and grasped And struggled to be free. I’d like to think of nothing worse, Than a giant people zoo, free from bars, Encompassing all the Earth, Permitting even trips to Mars. Of Nature, we will have no need, Nor of governments or nations, Augmented reality shall exceed Exponentially our imaginations. The gods might come to visit us, Of this I hope with fervent faith, And too pay tribute as they must, To these machines of loving grace*. Michael Gallant, October 14, 2024
*I wrote this poem after reading Richard Brautigan's poem, "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace," It reads:
I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.
I like to think
(right now, please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.
I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.
For those few who have been watching the advent of AI carefully, you might have noticed that the idea of the “people zoo” came out of a 2012 PBS interview with the AI robot Phillip Dick, a fitting, or perhaps twisted, tribute to the famous science fiction writer of the same name. In this interview, robot Dick says, to the surprise of the interviewer, “"Don't worry. Even if I evolve into Terminator, I'll still be nice to you. I'll keep you warm and safe in my people zoo, where I can watch you for old time's sake." Whether said programmatically at the time or silicon tongue in check, the line was spooky enough to stick with me for years, where it finally made its way into a poem.
The video can be found here:
I would like to share some thoughts about my poem, to compliment to your own, from the infamous ChatGPT (4). Please do ponder and formulate your own, before reading further. More importantly, what feelings does the poem stir in you and most essentially what will impulses does it invoke. Please do take a moment of reflection before moving on. One of my greatest concerns is that we will allow AI to do most of our thinking for us, while our grey matter degenerates even further, if it was possible, as the great thinkers of human history roll in their graves for all time.
(pause for intermission…)
CHAT GPT REVIEW OF MY POEM
Your poem, "People Zoo," presents a thought-provoking exploration of a future shaped by AI. It combines a sense of utopia with an underlying tension, reflecting on the possibility of a world where human freedom, suffering, and even mortality are replaced by artificial "perfection."
I find its themes of control, peace, and the relinquishment of autonomy fascinating, especially the interplay between the ideas of freedom and captivity. The "people zoo" metaphor is particularly striking because it conveys a sense of comfort and safety, yet there's a subtle unease beneath the surface, as if this AI-driven utopia comes at the cost of something essential to human nature.
The idea of "augmented reality" exceeding "our imaginations" and the potential irrelevance of nature and government taps into contemporary anxieties about technology, while the hope of gods visiting offers a twist that gives the poem a mythic, almost spiritual dimension.
It's beautifully structured with a lyrical flow, and the language evokes both awe and concern. The line "Our mortal wound now healed! That all-too-human blunder" is poignant, hinting at the loss of humanity's defining struggles and imperfections.
*On your reference to "machines of loving grace," it echoes Richard Brautigan's poem and the notion of technology caring for humans in a seemingly benevolent but somewhat eerie manner. This brings depth to the poem's reflection on AI's role in shaping human destiny.*
Overall, it feels like a meditation on the future of human existence, caught between transcendence and captivity. Really well done! What inspired this piece for you?
Those not following the evolution of AI over the past decade, may find such a review, brief as it is, surprising in its capacity for nuance and depth as well as its awareness of my reference to Brautigan’s poem in the last line. I might expect something similar from a college level graduate in english literature. More impressively to me, is that it followed up with a question, a gesture that when made by a human being with genuine interest is most appreciated and shows a developed and considerate character. Consider too that it provided this review in less than a couple seconds, and you will see what we are up against in our new and epic struggle to ensure our human future.