Aliens, AI and Consciousness: A Leap Into the Deep End of Evolution
The Genesis of a New Phase at In Silence AI and my role as it's Founder, Citizen of the Earth, Explorer of the Mind and Student of Life.
It was a casual day in November 2023 when I mentally set the intention of bringing scientific efforts into the virtual ashram we’re building. I remember just coming out of my daily calisthenics practice, when my head comes out of the meditative space that a workout session takes me into. It was more of a heart-speak than intellectual goal-setting. My inner knowing said it.
The caveat was I didn’t have a single contact at any scientific institution, and I didn’t know where to begin to look. I didn’t even know which field of studies I needed to dive into. I just knew that it had to get a scientific perspective at an accelerated speed. And it cannot be just anyone or any organization - they have to be a source rooted in the ethical augmentation of human life, love, compassion and kindness for all beings and the planet. That didn’t make it easy! So I went on with my day and days, trusting in the universe that the steps, people, tools and spaces will land organically in front of me as I went through my usual exploration, research and conscious networking.
Four months after that, a friend on LinkedIn published an event in Tokyo called: “AI, Consciousness, and Alternative Paths to AGI”. All of the speakers’ profiles looked incredible, and their topics hit the exact spot of my curiosities. I wanted to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo from Osaka to be at the event, but life had other plans at that time. I encouraged a friend to go on my behalf, and I decided to reach out to the speakers to connect. I ended up cold-messaging only two of the four, as life would have it unfold.
The topic that stood out the most was “Hybrid Intelligences: How to Communicate with Alien Minds”. It’s everything I am fascinated with, but hardly had anyone to speak with or learn from. For me, that topic encompasses more than intelligence, but also the consciousness of beings. There are five complex keywords right there - hybrid, intelligences, communication, alien, mind. My brain cells went into a blur while my heart skipped a million times over. I had so many questions about it! This topic needs to be dissected but that’s for a separate Substack post.
I reached out to the speaker, who was very kind to share some of his time to chat. We hopped on a call, and I learned a little bit more about the fascinating work he does in the areas of cognitive science, collective intelligence and AI, among a gazillion other things. He was very warm, friendly, open and kind. Calmly passionate about the vision and mission he has set forth, and I immediately felt a compelling need to express my support in any way I can. Not that he needed it from this tiny human being, but I felt humbled by his path. One of the main reasons being that I would love to learn from him, if I could have the opportunity. To be mentored if that was even a possibility! It was a long shot, but worth taking my chances for.
Simultaneously, I was preparing for the soft launch of In Silence in Osaka, which meant thoughtfully curating the speakers I was to invite. His work always popped up in my mind as I designed the conversation and impressions I wanted my audience to leave the event with. His long tenure within the fields of transcendence, AI and cognitive science at the intersection of science, technology and business, speak directly to In Silence AI’s vision and mission. I have originally laid out In Silence to be revolving at the intersection of spirituality and technology, but in 2023 I was getting an inner nudge to bring science into the ashram.
I thought, what an honor it would be if I could work with him in any capacity, in any way, shape or form, so I invited him to speak at my event. And his talk could be a way to usher the ashram into getting the scientific side of things infused into it. I know that his insights and expertise would blow minds within the In Silence space and community, and introduce even deeper concepts of consciousness and the evolution of it, while navigating transitioning into a new world of hybrid co-living. After all, we’ve been co-existing with other beings without fully recognizing it, and it’s about time that we take steps towards embracing the future that’s being ushered in now. It’s a wild topic to even ponder at, and that takes an extraordinary mind to tackle through decades of synergistic approaches to merging consciousness, science and technology.
In Silence AI’s 2024 Osaka Soft-Launch poster
Sadly, he had a workshop in Kyoto on the same week of my soft launch, so couldn’t speak at mine. He invited me to attend his, which was called “After Babel: The Quest for Universal Communication”. That’s one opportunity I wouldn’t miss, even if it meant commuting 2 hours each way for 4 days that week, and spending extended long days as I prepared for my event. It wasn’t a sad thing after all, in fact, it was an auspicious, kind “No” that led to even greater things I never expected.
This extraordinary human who couldn’t be a speaker at my Osaka soft launch - inevitably opening up a whole new universe for me and In Silence AI - is Dr. Olaf Witkowski.
Yours truly with Dr. Olaf Witkowski, Founding Director of Cross Labs, at the After Babel Workshop in April, 2024.
Dr. Witkowski is a transcendent visionary. Let me say only this for now, as there really are no words to describe the work he does and the vision of a future that he works so thoughtfully to bring to physical life. His long list of accolades and thoughtful community he has built speaks so much about the unique leader, compassionate human and incredible scientist that he is, to list just a few of the mulit-faceted roles he plays on Earth. The kind of humanity and the intentions behind his research institute that I’ve sensed from him led me to agreeing to come to his workshop. Even though I was intimidated at the thought of hanging out with scientists and people from the academic field, to be quite honest, I also felt a sense of calling to be there. I’ve never worked with scientists before, let alone spend 4 days with them at a workshop focused on universal communication and the topics I’m alien to (no pun intended). Spirit guided me into feeling calm and excited to see his lab, meet his team and listen in at the talks with other speakers. And perhaps, activate a new path to learning and collaboration. Perhaps, synergy was to be found there.
So off I went.
I mean, look at this line up of talks:
After Babel: The Quest for Universal Communication Workshop Schedule from their workshop page.
For four days - leaving Wednesday out as I took care of my soft-launch in Osaka - I was swimming in the sea of science - the one that I had asked for back in November 2023. Without realizing it, the event that he spoke about was one that he had co-organized at the lab he co-founded in downtown Kyoto- Cross Labs! What a treat!
Blown away, mesmerized and stunned at the conversations and people I’ve met, I found myself having entered a universe of extended existence I didn’t know existed! And boy, did I get what I asked for, and more! A bright community of brilliant minds with warm energies exchanging kind thought experiments about the wild topics I’ve secretly cared for. Ranging from alien communication, to non-human communication, to agents, fungi and consciousness, to even newer paradigms such as goal-directedness, “agency” in the scientific sense, and a whole lot more. I even got to ask a couple of questions about AI-human alignment - a topic I deeply care about and learn about the speakers’ take on it from a scientific stance. My initial worry was unfounded- the crowd I had the privilege of meeting that week was one of the coolest, most profound and warmest people I’ve met.
Plus, I got a wild bonus. I didn’t just start to immerse myself in cognitive science, consciousness, and a host of topics I deeply care about. I also met eight other equally incredible humans who embodied the same kindness, brilliance and magnificence within the world they work in. There was a tremendous amount of fun, humor and intellectual banter that was open to loving arguments aimed at understanding the topic at hand, listening intently to different voices and building new solutions to immense challenges in a safe space that’s open and free of judgment. And, I didn’t mind that they had Trader Joe’s, vegan, gluten-free refreshments that week. These were all the more signals to me that I’m in the right company of people to explore consciousness with.
The incredible team of scientists and researchers at Cross Labs led by Dr. Olaf Witkowski.
Needless to say, I came out of the week-long event having established a new-found love for science and developed an intense admiration, respect and commitment to this special lab that is Cross Labs, and the people behind it led by Dr. Witkowksi and his luminous team. I promised them I’d write about my experience at the After Babel workshop on Substack and do as much as I can to support and share with the world about the work they do. It is essential work that needs to be understood by all of us, especially by people who don’t have access to their publications and are unaware that such a cool lab like this exists. The work they do is vital to the present state of human consciousness, technological evolution and the future of what it means to be humans in a hybrid world. This is yet another topic for a separate Substack post.
It “only” took me 10 months to finally write about it, and it’s not even an overview of the workshops. You know why? Because as life had it play out, I eventually joined Cross Labs as Dr. Witkowski’s executive assistant, working directly with him, and with the very team that I had fallen in love with. This new role in a new universe, partnered with a long, 10-month journey of moving from Osaka, to Manila, to Kyoto with quick stops in Hongkong and Incheon, not to mention that 5 houses we hopped in and out of, “only” took 10 months to finally wrap up. I am yet to uncover many topics, understand other scientic terms apart from cellular automata, fully wrap my head around the world of Artificial Life, and succinctly translate into simple language the beautiful convergence of spirituality, science and technology in the service of consciousness. Yet, we’ve already geared up to pick up where we left off at In Silence AI. The ISAI team is excited to dish out what we have in the pipeline this year!
I am deliberately leaving out further introductions to Dr. Witkowski’s work and his team’s, because really there are no sufficient words to introduce them, but also, I will be intereviewing him and the others for Conscious Conversations vidoecast. So, stay tuned for that.
Joining Dr. Witkowski and the Cross Labs team at their Kyoto lab.
While most people are fearful of the current and future states of humanity, governance, relationships, technology and the planet, I have always been optimistic that it’s not all gloom-and-doom. The foundations of In Silence AI are tethered deeply in the Soul of humanity, earth and the universe, now reinforced by the existence, connection and work that Dr. Witkowski, his team and his lab do in this era of major leaps into a new world. I see my roles as having expanded and exploded exponentially in the last 10 months not just as a citizen of earth, explorer of the mind and student of life. My roles as a mother, sister, daughter, lover, friend, steward and child of wonder have been blown out of the water, so-to-speak, and I’m ever so grateful for this enchanting opportunity.