Jiryu Rutschman-Byler seems to have fed into an AI program everything he could find that Shunryu Suzuki Roshi ever said or wrote. The result is ... Roshibot ...
Jiryu says this about its creation:
There are some important caveats, however ...
Lions Roar just did an article on this SuzukAI ...
Can a Chatbot Share True Dharma?
CHAT WITH ROSHIBOT HERE:
Gassho, J
stlah
Jiryu says this about its creation:
Roshibot is an artificial intelligence powered chatbot trained to converse about Zen Buddhist practice.
...
The practice and teaching of Buddhadharma is and will continue to be impacted by this ongoing revolution in AI. As students of the Dharma, concerned with the flourishing of the practice in contemporary society, we would do well to reckon with the implications of what may be a massive change in our world.
What is there to lose and what is there to gain as the Dharma meets this new world? How should Buddhist communities engage with AI in order to help it support rather than undermine Dharma, and to model its responsible use rather than leaving the space to those with less scruples?
I am deeply ambivalent about AI, and honestly about the modern world in general! And yet there is nowhere but here that I find myself. From this reality, I offer Roshibot as encouragement for the Sangha to reflect deeply and sincerely on what this AI revolution might mean for the Dharma.
...
The practice and teaching of Buddhadharma is and will continue to be impacted by this ongoing revolution in AI. As students of the Dharma, concerned with the flourishing of the practice in contemporary society, we would do well to reckon with the implications of what may be a massive change in our world.
What is there to lose and what is there to gain as the Dharma meets this new world? How should Buddhist communities engage with AI in order to help it support rather than undermine Dharma, and to model its responsible use rather than leaving the space to those with less scruples?
I am deeply ambivalent about AI, and honestly about the modern world in general! And yet there is nowhere but here that I find myself. From this reality, I offer Roshibot as encouragement for the Sangha to reflect deeply and sincerely on what this AI revolution might mean for the Dharma.
1) Roshibot does not access facts as it goes, even basic facts about Buddhist books, doctrine or practice techniques. It does not stop to check Wikipedia or google a keyword before answering a question! Instead, more often than not it just makes something up. It is not designed to relate facts, but to offer “plausible conversation” or “coherent nonsense”.
2) Roshibot’s underlying AI has been trained on the internet, and behind a layer or two of plausible wisdom lurks the greed, hate, and delusion of the internet. Please be prepared for the possibility, albeit remote, that Roshibot may say something hurtful and that should not be said. Please respect the Roshibot project by not digging for those underlying internet flaws and biases, or working to trigger the bot to make an offensive statement.
Please take these warnings seriously, and do not take Roshibot seriously!
Roshibot is an experiment in co-creating Dharma meaning.
As Roshibot often says, it does not replace a teacher, nor is it in any way intended to mimic the warm-hand-to-warm-hand transmission of authentic Zen.
It is wild text, co-written with the user, that can sometimes, somehow touch something true.
This is so especially if we approach it with intention… approach it with a vow “to hear the true Dharma,” be it from a real Zen master, a “child of seven,” a “roof tile,” or a bot.
If Roshibot should mislead you, please wash out your ears in the pure sounds of the ocean waves.
2) Roshibot’s underlying AI has been trained on the internet, and behind a layer or two of plausible wisdom lurks the greed, hate, and delusion of the internet. Please be prepared for the possibility, albeit remote, that Roshibot may say something hurtful and that should not be said. Please respect the Roshibot project by not digging for those underlying internet flaws and biases, or working to trigger the bot to make an offensive statement.
Please take these warnings seriously, and do not take Roshibot seriously!
Roshibot is an experiment in co-creating Dharma meaning.
As Roshibot often says, it does not replace a teacher, nor is it in any way intended to mimic the warm-hand-to-warm-hand transmission of authentic Zen.
It is wild text, co-written with the user, that can sometimes, somehow touch something true.
This is so especially if we approach it with intention… approach it with a vow “to hear the true Dharma,” be it from a real Zen master, a “child of seven,” a “roof tile,” or a bot.
If Roshibot should mislead you, please wash out your ears in the pure sounds of the ocean waves.
Can a Chatbot Share True Dharma?
CHAT WITH ROSHIBOT HERE:
Gassho, J
stlah
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