Half-Absent Lives and the Fight for Meaning: Dr. Carney on the Age of AI: Sarah Gingerich

    Closer to the beginning of the semester, Dr. Carney came and spoke to us about his writing, sharing some insightful thoughts on AI and its impact on our current lives. Carney's writing highlighted the decline of the humanities and the way that technology, especially AI and smartphones, has made our thinking incredibly hurried and distracted. Reading actual books or taking time to understand material has become a rare action, and is almost like a form of rebellion. Dr. Carney stated that only 16% of people read for pleasure compared to 28% in 2016. His writing suggests that moments of true awe or numinous experiences are nearly impossible when we are half-absent in our own lives because we are more present in the online part of ourselves. Carney challenged us to join the grand conversation about what kind of humans we are becoming and what we choose to contemplate. We need to actively fight against the hurried, AI world that we are heading towards. 

    In this way, I think that pilgrimage or hiking is a powerful counter to this technological lifestyle. When you’re walking for hours, days, weeks, or months, often with limited service and not a constant stream of notifications, I can only imagine the peace and contemplation that would occur. In this way, the trail becomes a space for contemplation, an act of rebellion against the consumption of AI. 


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