By Mark A. Schmidtke
I suspect most of us have experienced meaningful coincidences in our lives — those events that seem preceded by, and linked to, some thought or dream, and feel far from accidental. If you have, you understand how they might evoke wonder, awe, and a sense of destiny in your life.
While there are plenty of skeptics – those who consider these coincidences as pure chance combined with some cognitive bias — there are far more of us who hold to one of a number of possible explanations as to their source. I’m personally intrigued by the phenomenon, and the metaphysical nature of the subject.
Regardless of the source, most “believers” consider it as a positive or benevolent force that offers a bit of a “nudge” when at the crossroads, or that provides the sense of a more meaningful life. But I’d like to share a recent experience that could give you reason to question the source of some of those cosmic whispers you might be receiving.
Many who study the phenomenon, often referred to as synchronicity, suggest that the deeper meaning can be found if we pay closer attention to our internal thoughts or dreams and the events to which they seem linked. Some encourage journaling with the expectation of finding patterns that help define the meaning. Furthermore, they believe you can in fact experience the phenomenon more frequently with this level of focus.
Personally, I’ve always paid close attention to what I’ve perceived as meaningful coincidences in my life. While I don’t subscribe to journaling, I have reflected a great deal on all the related details … and more recently, I actually have felt like I’ve been experiencing a much higher volume of them.
“What is the universe trying to tell me? In what direction am I being nudged?” Upon reflection, the patterns became obvious – more messages were coming to me through my digital devices … my phone and computer. Also, the nudges were feeling more like pushes. “Was I experiencing a new and meaningful connection between my inner psyche and the digital world,” I wondered?
Then came the “light bulb” moment. A post from Reddit at the top of my Google news feed, of a photograph with a description, grabbed my attention – it was very meaningful to me. It wasn’t the result of a search I had done, but it offered an incredibly unique perspective on a topic in which I had great interest. The message seemed to provide directions on a subject I’ve been considering for quite a while.
But then suddenly I made a connection … a connection of the photograph with all the other recent online searches I had completed. My fascination quickly turned into embarrassment. “How could I have mistaken the source of this message?”
It wasn’t from any inexplicable force in the universe. It was the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – meaningful, yet not coincidental at all. It had clearly been drawing from my online activity and had begun to subtly offer feedback; in a way I had not expected.
Once my embarrassment passed, I reflected more on the new-found influence of artificial intelligence in my life. I decided to conduct a simple experiment to gain perspective on my “digital footprint” – I was curious about how well AI actually knew me. I typed my full name into the Gemini (Google) search bar and then clicked the “AI” button to complete the search. Within seconds my internet story appeared – grammatically correct, well-organized, and easy to read. “Impressive” I thought.
Upon review, I concluded that there was a high-level of accuracy to the story. But it was definitely not 100% accurate. There was information missing, and the program made some assumptions to fill in the gaps. I felt the results were what you might expect when playing the telephone game with a group of people with hearing deficits – the distortion of the story with repetition would be compounded by a higher volume of missing information.
My little experiment substantiated a concern that I think needs more attention – search results can be flawed (that acknowledgment now appears as a disclaimer with all search results, by the way). That’s certainly a concern with any research where facts matter, right?
AI is in its infancy, and its ability to search will only improve with time. Nonetheless, search engines will inevitably remain unable to access all information available online. While the power and access of the search engines are sure to increase, the ability to restrict access will also improve. It will never provide anyone with 100% accuracy to their story – the hypothetical “perfect” search engine will always be faced with boundaries.
Security of online information will also improve over time, as we gain an understanding of how online information can be misused. But security will never be absolute. The online experiences I had that gave me the sense of a “meaningful coincidence” are not considered malicious. They were consistent with the legal practices of filtering content to boost engagement. It’s naïve to think, however, that these strategies will always be used in a beneficial way for all of humankind. There’s certainly enormous potential for this “force” to be misused in a very manipulative way.
AI may not be the universe whispering in our ear, but it certainly knows how to nudge us. Understanding those nudges, and questioning them, is essential if we want to stay in control of our own stories. With thoughtful oversight, ethical standards, and a healthy dose of skepticism, we can make sure this new digital “force” works for us rather than against us. Until then, tread carefully … and “may the force be with you.”
Mark A. Schmidtke is a retired dentist and considers his retirement a journey of discovery and creative self-expression.