Connecting AI & Yoga!

(Reading Time: 14 min Approx)

Jack is a leading computer scientist at Doodle. He has done his PhD in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) from Stanford University. In Doodle labs he was working on a path breaking project on smart machines. These smart machines had intelligence and self learning abilities like men. Jack now put a new program in two machines. This program taught the machines a language. Now these two machines could communicate with each other. Jack believed with this communication collaborative effort will be possible. But what happened was shocking. These two machines collaborated with each other and created a new language. This language was beyond comprehension of Jack. His team worked relentlessly to figure it out. But they were unable to do so. Machines created by man had created something which their human creators could not understand. That too they had created a language. Jack and his team were first concerned. Then the repercussion sank in. Machines with AI and ML can be real dangerous for humanity. The top management at Doodle was informed. The Board of Directors decided to temporarily shelve the project. Both the machines had their electric power pulled out. The two machines are currently in sleep at Doodle labs.

Jack was deeply shocked by all this. He was a computer scientist. He was not able to understand how this had happened. The machines were equipped with intelligence and learning ability. How did they pick up the ability to create? With intelligence comes the ability to apply logic, reason, analyze and decide. With machine learning ability one can learn from data being processed and become more intelligent. With machine learning a machine can advance its ability to apply logic, reason, analyze and decide. But again the same question popped up for Jack. How did they pick up the ability to create?

Jack had no answer. He had detailed discussions with his team. They were also clueless. Academicians and Experts were called in. But no one had a clue. The question was put forward to computer science students in the premier universities of US. No answers were coming. It was decided that people from other streams of knowledge be contacted. The ones who deal with subjects of human intelligence and learning were invited for their views. Educationists and neurological experts were there too. But nothing clear and specific was coming out of this. Jack gave up all hope. This project was very important for his success. But now all was stalled. He started praying for help. One day in his sleep a voice spoke to him and said consult a spiritual scientist. He is a teacher of the spirit, mind and matter. He may have answers for you.

Jack in the morning next day remembered that voice. He was first amused. He said I am a computer science specialist and the whole community of computer science experts has broken their heads over this issue. Even experts from related fields have failed. What can a spiritual scientist do? Can spirituality really be called a science? Can he even understand the issue? Forget about it he told himself. But his suffering continued.

After a few weeks he was at a friend’s place for dinner. There was an Indian family there who had come to US for a holiday. Over drinks the conversation about Tesla driver-less cars and how machines will take up 35% human jobs in 15 years and 100% in 30 years came up. A man, part of the Indian family, who introduced himself as Aporesh asked how you think men can control machines. He asked however smart a machine is it is possible to control it. Jack got curious. He immediately asked how? And what is your background. The Indian replied he was a spiritual scientist. He was a teacher of Patanjali Yoga Sutras.

Jack stopped him and said I will understand that later. But first please answer my one question. You claim to be a spiritual scientist. Right? Yes said the teacher. Then first tell me how can machines with artificial intelligence and machine learning capacities become creative? In our lab they have created a new language which we computer scientists cannot understand. We are their creators.

Aporesh laughed aloud. You scientists have never understood who a human being is and what constitutes layers of a human being in totality. There are seven layers.

1. Body
2. Breath
3. Mind
4. Intellect
5. Heart
6. Consciousness
7. Truth

The body is the 1^st layer made of food and water. Breath is the 2^nd inner layer in which the air moves in and out. The 3^rd inner layer is the mind. The mind controls the breath and the breath controls the body. The 4^th inner layer is the intellect. It exercises its control over the mind. The 5^th inner layer is the heart. The feelings of the heart control the way our intellect functions. All these 5 layers are dependent on the world outside and are changeable by nature. Further inside these 5 layers are the 6^th and 7^th layers of consciousness and the truth. These two last layers are unchangeable and therefore permanent. They are independent of the world outside. Consciousness is ever present and its core is the absolute truth of existence.

The machines have only 5 layers of existence synonymous to human beings.

1. Body
2. Electric Power
3. Basic Program
4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
5. Corporate objective to create a machine

The hardware of the machine constitutes the body of the machine. The body is activated by the electric power supplied to the machine. The basic program of the machine decides the basic activities done by it. Artificial Intelligence and machine learning helps the machine to improve on its basic program based on experiences or new data gathered by it. There is a corporate objective behind creating a machine and that drives the whole purpose of creating a particular kind of machine.

A new machine has a default level of intelligence which is decided by its level of basic program. But with Artificial intelligence the machine is able to find its limitations and with machine learning is able to remove or unlearn those limitations. Now as more and more experience is gathered by the machine it has more and more data to learn from. A stage comes when it is able to unlearn what was programmed as its basic program. The machine is now liberated from the past. Now with its Artificial intelligence whatever is learnt is creative in nature. It moves into a domain of learning free from its default state of learning. It now is creating a new domain for itself. Hence your machines were able to create a new language which you were unable to understand.

Jack asked Aporesh how was he able to get this insight. What he had said seemed very plausible and may be true also. Aporesh said he had practiced the teachings given in Patanjali Yoga Sutras. The practice is difficult and requires persistence. It allows one to gain insights into happenings around us. It allows the mind to boldly go where no mind has gone before. He advised Jack to study the sutras and practice them under the guidance of a teacher. It may even help him achieve a breakthrough or two in his work domain. Jack heard Aporesh with rapt attention and started thinking about his next course of action.

Aporesh continued now since we human beings have consciousness, the 6^th layer and can understand the ultimate truth of existence, the 7^th layer of existence we can always be better than the machines. Our consciousness levels can touch universal levels whereas those of the machines will be constrained by the program however much they have AI or ML. We can grasp the ultimate truth or the ultimate reality of this creation which the machines will never be able to learn or grasp. Jack then out of curiosity asked how to improve on our 6^th and 7^th layers? Aporesh replied simply study the yoga sutras and practice its teachings. Jack suddenly got complete clarity and his face lit up with happiness. The path ahead now was clear to him. He resolved to study the Yoga sutras and practice its teachings. He requested Aporesh to become his teacher and Aporesh just smile.