Concepts for the Future

Introduction:

As we stand at the crossroads of technological advancement, particularly with AI, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), and the looming possibility of ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), alongside economic and mental health challenges, we must consider new frameworks for governance and societal well-being. This whitepaper proposes the use of an important missing component: Spatial Economics through H11.Life, Human101™️ and Human11™️ as fundamental frameworks where these complex issues can be addressed in a multidimensional, systemic manner.

"...make really amazing models that are aligned to human flourishing available to everyone...
...as a public infrastructure, and a public good. "
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- Emad Mostaque
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The Entanglement of Attention and Monetary Systems:

In our current systems, attention has become a currency, often manipulated for economic gain. This leads to a focus on fast thinking, efficiency, and competition, neglecting the slower, more reflective processes needed for deep understanding and sustainable decision-making. The economy, driven by these dynamics, often overlooks the mental health implications of a society caught in a relentless pursuit of productivity. Our individual attention and monetary systems are indeed entangled, especially in the digital age. Here's how:

• 🔻Attention Economy: The concept of the attention economy posits that human attention is a scarce commodity, and like any scarce resource, it has economic value. Media, social platforms, and advertisers compete fiercely for this attention, often using sophisticated algorithms and psychological tactics to keep users engaged. The more time you spend on a platform, the more data is collected, which can then be monetized through advertising, targeted marketing, or even selling user data to third parties.
• 🔻Monetary Systems: The monetization of attention directly influences monetary systems. For example:
• 🔻Advertising Revenue: Platforms earn money based on how much attention (and thus ad views) they can capture. This is why content, including news, is often tailored to keep users engaged longer.
• 🔻Paywalls and Subscriptions: News outlets increasingly put content behind paywalls, making access to information a direct transaction, intertwining attention with money.
• 🔻Influencer Economy: Individuals can convert their attention into income through sponsored content, affiliate marketing, or direct monetization features like Super Follows or Patreon, further blending attention with financial gain.

Manipulation and Patterning:

• 🔻Content Alteration: News and information on screens can be curated or manipulated to influence public opinion, behavior, or even elections. This includes creating echo chambers where individuals are only exposed to reinforcing viewpoints, which can skew public discourse and individual understanding.
• 🔻Algorithmic Bias: Algorithms decide what content to show us based on engagement metrics, often promoting sensational or divisive content to maximize attention, which can distort reality or priorities.
• 🔻Feedback Loop: There's a feedback loop where the more attention a platform or piece of content gets, the more financially rewarding it becomes for those who control or provide that content, incentivizing further manipulation or sensationalism.

In summary, in an era where most people consume news and information through digital screens, the mechanisms that capture and hold attention are closely tied to monetary systems. This entanglement has profound implications for how information is disseminated, consumed, and understood, affecting everything from individual decision-making to societal norms and democratic processes.

Slow Thinking vs. Fast Thinking³:

→   Fast Thinking (System 1) supports quick, often automatic decisions which our current monetary system encourages with its emphasis on efficiency and speed.
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→   Slow Thinking (System 2) involves deeper reflection, analysis, and is necessary for high-quality decisions over time. This aligns with the need for a monetary system that values depth, quality, and sustainability over just quantity or speed.

Time, Space, and Information:

High-quality decisions require time to gather and process information, space to consider different perspectives, and the ability to integrate this into a coherent understanding over time. Our current systems often don't accommodate this, leading to short-termism.
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This affects each person and culture differently. It creates vast disruptions in our values, beliefs, principles, and purposes. All of this is intensified by the arrival of AI. To counterbalance this effect, we can implement mechanisms where decisions or transactions have a temporal component, rewarding or incentivizing long-term thinking. For example, investments or attention signals could grow or depreciate based on their long-term impact or sustainability.

The current form of money, which is primarily numerical and contrast-based, might not be the most conducive form for achieving outcomes where attention and value are more aligned with human experience and decision-making. Let's explore this through the lens of human perception and cognition:

Linear vs. Spectrum:

Our financial systems are largely linear - transactions, profits, and losses are measured on a single scale. However, human perception, particularly through cones, recognizes the spectrum, suggesting that value could be measured in multiple dimensions, not just one.

Rods vs. Cones:

→   Rods are responsible for peripheral and night vision, detecting motion and contrast in low light, analogous to our fast, intuitive thinking (System 1 in Kahneman's³ terms). This aligns with how our current monetary system operates - quick, numerical, and focused on immediate contrast (profit/loss). This amplifies a pathology of addiction to intensity (winning/losing)
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→   Cones detect color, detail, and shape, enabling us to see the spectrum of light, which is more akin to slow, deliberate thinking
(System 2). This type of vision allows for nuanced understanding, much like how we might want to perceive and value information and attention in a more complex, qualitative way.

Decentralized, Reflective Systems:

This isn't a hypothesis against linear contrast systems, but rather, to use it's function to manage impulse as a vector of thought. It's possible to use blockchain or similar technologies to create systems where the flow of this multidimensional currency is transparent and can reflect collective values over time. This could involve smart contracts that reward long-term outcomes or community consensus on what constitutes 'value'.

Attention as a Spectrum Resource:

Instead of treating attention as a singular, numerical resource, recognize it as a spectrum. Platforms could measure attention not just by time spent but by the depth of engagement, diversity of content consumed, and the quality of interaction. This could be rewarded with different types of 'currency' based on these metrics, encouraging platforms to foster environments that promote slow, thoughtful interaction.

Data Rights:

Instead of protection leading to entanglement, imagine a system where data is inherently private by default, and sharing it is an active choice with clear benefits to the individual.

Public Funding:

The paradox of competition can be mitigated by focusing public funds on non-competitive, essential information dissemination, e.g., public service announcements, educational content, or investigative journalism that doesn't aim to be the most sensational but the most informative.

Regulation:

It's important to acknowledge the challenges of enforcement; however, regulation isn't about creating a perfect system but about setting boundaries. Think of it as guardrails rather than micromanagement. Perhaps the focus should be on regulating the outcomes rather than the mechanisms. For example, instead of regulating how algorithms work, regulate for transparency in outcomes like diversity of content or truthfulness.

Engagement vs. Impact:

Instead of collecting more data, the focus could be on qualitative assessments by independent bodies or community feedback systems where the impact is gauged by real-world outcomes or peer review, not just data metrics.

Decentralized Platforms:

Agreed, they can foster tribalism, but this could be countered by designing systems that incentivize diversity and cross-pollination of ideas. Think of platforms where the reward isn't just for content creation but for constructive engagement across differing viewpoints.

Education:

While monetary systems are intertwined, education can shift cultural values towards valuing depth over distraction, potentially influencing market demands for content.

Alternative Revenue Models::

Human competitiveness will never go away, but this could be leveraged positively. For instance, incentivizing creators to collaborate on platforms where success is measured by collective benefit rather than solely individual gain.

Educational and Cultural Shift:

Promote education that values slow thinking, teaching people to appreciate and engage with information in a more nuanced way. This cultural shift would naturally demand a change in how we perceive and use money, moving from a focus on speed to one on depth and breadth.

Deal with the Individual 1st / Then the Larger System

The Need for a Multi-Dimensional Approach:

Our existing models for understanding human behavior and economic activities are predominantly linear and numerical. However, human emotions, thoughts, and societal interactions are more akin to a spectrum, much like the cones in our eyes that perceive color and depth. VR can simulate environments where these dimensions are explored, offering a space for slow thinking, where individuals can engage with complex systems in a more intuitive, visual manner.

Feedback Loops for Decision Quality:

Create systems where the feedback from decisions made with this new form of currency directly influences future decisions, encouraging a continuous improvement cycle in decision-making quality.

By aligning our monetary and attention systems more closely with how our cognitive and perceptual systems work, we could foster environments where decisions are made with more consideration for long-term outcomes, human values, and the complexity of real-world systems.

Multidimensional Currency:

Develop a currency that reflects not just quantity but quality, impact, and sustainability. This could be a spectrum-based currency where transactions include value ratings on different axes like environmental impact, social benefit, or educational value, alongside monetary value.

Human101.club:

→  This platform appears to be dedicated to exploring the human experience at the intersection of digital and physical realities, which resonates with the need for a more nuanced understanding of how we engage with our world. It's described as a place where opposing views are examined, much like how we need to look at decisions and information from multiple angles (akin to using both rods and cones for perception). 
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→  The focus on "visualizing the multiple axes of considerations" to reveal hidden dynamics mirrors the idea of moving beyond linear, numerical assessments (fast thinking) to consider the spectrum of human experience and value (slow thinking). 
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→  It encourages learning patterns and using them effectively, which aligns with the need for reflective, informed decision-making over time.

H11.life:

→ This appears to be an extension or a related initiative aiming to "restore the human attention span" by leveraging "The Mirror Principle" and systemic constellations. This directly relates to the idea of attention as a currency or resource, where the quality of attention (depth, engagement, reflection) is valued over mere quantity. 
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→ The focus on systemic constellations (represented by the collective "0") interacting with ontology (the individual "1") suggests an understanding of how individual actions and collective systems are interdependent, much like the need for a monetary system that considers both immediate impact and long-term sustainability. 
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→ The mention of "open-source sharing of independent research" on humane AGI and the aim to align technology with human knowledge and perception echoes the need for a system where technology supports, rather than detracts from, human values and decision-making processes.

Attention and Value:

Both platforms aim to realign how we value attention and interaction in digital spaces, moving towards a model where attention is not just about time spent but about the quality of engagement, similar to proposing attention as a spectrum resource or currency.

Complex Systems and Decision-Making:

They both advocate for understanding complex human systems through education and VR experiences, which parallels the need for slow thinking and multidimensional decision-making in our economic and social systems.

Integration of Individual and Collective:

The emphasis on systemic constellations and individual ontology in H11.life reflects the need in our conversation for systems that balance personal impact with collective welfare, suggesting that our monetary or attention systems should also reflect this balance.

Visual and Spatial Thinking:

The use of VR and visual maps for problem-solving and understanding in Human101.club connects with the idea of using spatial and spectrum-based thinking to navigate through and interpret the world, rather than just linear, numerical approaches.

In essence, both Human101.club and H11.life are attempting to create frameworks or environments where the complexities of human experience, decision-making, and interaction with technology are acknowledged, explored, and utilized to foster a more reflective, balanced, and humane approach to digital life. This directly correlates with the need for a reimagined system of value and currency that respects these human dimensions.

Systemic Constellations and Coordination Protocols:

Systemic Constellation Work offers insights into how systems function, highlighting energy flow or stagnation within them. This approach can be mirrored in the coordination of AI, where we see similar issues of flow versus blockage, leading to misalignment in technology, economy, and human well-being. Spatial systems provides a unique platform to visualize and interact with these constellations, allowing for real-time adjustments and learning.

Addressing AI/AGI/ASI Alignment:

The alignment of AI with human values is not just about programming ethics but understanding the dynamic, spatial nature of human systems. VR can act as a "pause space" where the implications of AI decisions can be simulated, analyzed, and adjusted. It's not merely about alignment but syncing with life’s dynamics, which VR can facilitate through immersive experiences that depict multiple possible futures or scenarios.

Introducing the 8 Missing Components:

There are eight critical components missing in our current approach to AI governance and societal integration. These include:

1. Human Self-Understanding: As deep as AI understands us. → Scalable Reflection Interface (2D)
2. Spatial Awareness in Decision-Making: Beyond numerical metrics. → External Value Alignment (Currency)
3. Slow Thinking Protocols: Counteracting the rush for efficiency. → Internal Value Alignment (4D)
4. Heart-Mind-Body Alignment: For higher quality decision-making and datasets. → (Visual) Universal Language
5. Open-Source Learning: Sharing systemic insights freely. → Job and Education Access
6. Systemic Energy Flow: Ensuring AI systems don't create societal "leaks." → Public Trust Fund
7. Dynamic Coordination: Adapting to the flux of human societies. → Resource Coordination and Distribution
8. Humane Simulation Environments: Spatial frameworks for common sense exploration. → Humane AGI

Call to Action:

For those in governance, economics, and mental health fields, understanding and implementing these components could be transformative. VR offers a platform where these elements can be explored, tested, and taught. If you or your organization are interested in learning more or collaborating on this vision, please reach out. Together, we can navigate the future with greater wisdom, ensuring technology serves humanity in all its complexity.

The venture is comprehensive with several of the components seeming abstract upon first visit. There is a practical and systematic way of connecting of these components which turns on a secondary parallel system - H11.Life (styles) which compliments and supplements our current numerical system. It gives citizens a chance to untangle themselves from the current format of the chain of supply, and opens up the spatial networks (Web 4.0) for anyone to participate freely using the already existing technologies. Several components are in production, others are lagging behind. I'm actively looking for time, treasure, or talent. Please reach out if any of the above syncs with your views on AI. I appreciate your interest, and have faith that the right people will align.

Conclusion:

The future demands a new paradigm for addressing the challenges of AI, economic sustainability, and mental health. VR, with its ability to simulate, visualize, and interact with complex systems in a non-linear fashion, could be the key to unlocking this potential. It's time to move beyond traditional models and explore what VR can offer in creating a balanced, thoughtful, and harmonious society.

Footnotes: