Of Frogs and Robots
Seeking Supports from ‘Organic’ & ‘Artificial’ Intelligence
Anyone else notice the first night the spring peepers started ‘singing’ in the Simcoe region of this year, 2023? I do.
In my part of Simcoe, it was Monday, April 10th.
I know this because once I knew we were nearing the type of weather when the peeper frogs were likely to start singing, I checked outside every twilight until… there they were. Singing.
I recorded it and sent it around to my connections with a lot of exclamation points.
THE PEEPERS ARE HERE!!!
In case you don’t know much about the peepers…
Here are some reasons why spring peeper frogs are important:
1. Indicator species: Spring peeper frogs are an important indicator species, meaning that their presence or absence can provide important information about the health of their habitat. They are sensitive to changes in temperature, moisture levels, and pollution, and their populations can be used to monitor the quality of wetland habitats.
2. Pest control: Spring peeper frogs feed on a variety of insects, including mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases to humans and animals. By eating these pests, spring peeper frogs help to control their populations and reduce the risk of disease transmission.
3. Food source: Spring peeper frogs are an important food source for a variety of predators, including snakes, birds, and mammals. They provide a critical link in the food chain, and their presence helps to support the biodiversity of their habitat.
4. Cultural significance: Spring peeper frogs have been a part of human culture for centuries, and their distinctive calls are often associated with the arrival of spring. They have been featured in art, literature, and music, and their importance in folklore and mythology reflects their significance to human societies.
5. Research: Spring peeper frogs are a common subject of scientific research, particularly in the fields of ecology and conservation biology. They are used to study a variety of topics, including amphibian decline, disease transmission, and the effects of climate change on wildlife populations.
So, that 👆 is a short synopsis about the peepers.
It was written by AI (Artificial Intelligence) in a few seconds.
I went to the ChatAI website (https://chat.openai.com) and gave these instructions:
“Please write a short list outlining the importance of spring peeper frogs.”
The above, italicized text is what the AI generated in an instant.
What does it mean for our world when we have tools that can do this for us now, so fast?
I know what it means for me. It means I have more time to go outside and listen to the frogs!
Yes, I know our Technologies are problematic. From how it’s made, to how it’s used, to who makes it, to who has access, etc. I have concerns.
And also… the AI wrote about the peeper frogs in an instant! Which is rather incredible!
I was born in the 1970s into a white, middle class-ish household. I remember pre-internet times—and to have this AI do this so fast feels like science fiction…or magic.
With computers now in many of our pockets or on our wrists, I also know I can be a bit blasé about such things, at the same time I might also be quite rightly panicked at all of its pervasiveness.
However, can we all please take a moment to marvel at what the AI did here?!
This is a display of massive computational power that, if melded with our human capacities: our feeling, our poetics, our discernment, our critical thinking skills, our diversities, our tangibilities, our numerous artistries, and so on…
Perhaps there is a lot of potential here!
Honestly, I am as excited by what the AI created about the peeper frogs as I am by the actual appearance of the peeper frogs!
Now, I know I’ve experienced this ‘optimistic high’ with technology before.
In the past, I also got VERY excited about:
the Atari game console
the Sony discman
‘the internet’
the Jurassic Park movie dinosaurs
the IPod Nano
emojis
‘Streaming’
Twitter
Bluetooth speakers
‘the cloud’
Google maps and Google translate
Virtual reality headsets
Zoom meet-ups
and so much more!
These all seemed like ‘game changers’ when they arrived, hopeful harbingers of a ‘different reality’, and they were, and they are…and also, they weren’t and they aren’t.
It’s all gotten rather complicated to say how ‘well’ these ‘new technologies’ have turned out.
Will this new AI tech offer more of the same complicated, mixed-up-ness? Or is this technology *really* going to take us somewhere now? (But to do that, do we need a new approach, somehow?)
Lastly, I’ll point out that the AI, in writing the above italicized text, also mentioned biodiversity and climate change—did you notice that?
I didn’t ask them to do that. The AI just did it.
The AI knows about the climate emergency and the importance of biodiversity.
Even the robots know there is a deep need to pay better attention to those things.
A question is: will we listen to the robots?
Another question is: will we listen to the frogs?
The AI mentioned the peepers are an indicator species. (It's right there at the top of their list).
I take this to mean: we should listen to the frogs.
And also to suggest: perhaps more than just literally.
The frogs also have wisdom to offer us. They are creatures of transformation, after all, so what might the frogs themselves teach us about, say, renewal and regeneration?
Beyond ‘habitat health’, what might the frogs communicate? Beyond just their ‘singing’, what might we hear?
In this age of Climate Emergency, maybe what is needed, concurrent to our ever emergent technologies’, is an expansion in how Modern Humans engage with the Other Beings we are here with, be they ‘organic’ or ‘artificial’.
What might this expansiveness look like?
I propose we lean into this as an inquiry.
David Suzuki recently wrote about ‘greater humility and respect for all existence’ in an article called ‘Knowledge of Nature Challenges Human Centred Thinking’*.
Turns out, there’s more going on in the non-human realms than has typically been assumed. Limited by a human centric point of view, there’s just some things that we have not been good at perceiving.
Of frogs and robots, too, I wonder: what haven’t we been noticing?
If the non-human intelligences have potentially many things to offer to guide us during a very challenging time…then, I wonder: how might we better receive those offerings?
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Note: I can confirm that I, Julie Johnson, wrote the non-italicized portion of this article and that I, Julie Johnson, am not a robot.
✅I am not a robot
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MORE:
To hear what the peeper frogs sound like, go here:
David Suzuki’s article mentioned above can be found here: https://rabble.ca/environment/knowledge-of-nature-challenges-human-centric-thinking/
To see how VR, nature science and art are fusing to shift how humans can have a deeper perspective of our shared ecologies, check out these behind the scene videos of the work of Marshmallow Laser Feast on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/marshmallowlaserfeast
This seems old news now, perhaps? 👉 But back in 2021, Duran Duran’s music video for ‘Invisible’ was created by ‘an Artificial Intelligence bot called Huxley, who "dreamt" up the idea for the video’ https://www.itv.com/news/2021-05-19/duran-duran-how-the-band-made-a-new-music-video-untouched-by-human-hands https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/140674/Duran-Duran-create-INVISIBLE-video-with-AI
To learn more about frogs…consider going outside to find a way to meet your neighbourhood frogs 🐸.
For those interested in engaging more artfully with their sense of place, and you happen to enjoy taking photos, consider https://kinship.photography You do not need to be an experienced photographer to participate!
There is an upcoming free digital event on May 4 from The Democracy & Belonging Forum This Is The Part Where We Fall Down: On climate grief and hope with Naomi Klein, Bayo Akomolafe, and Yuria Celidwen
Interested in incorporating more art into your life/activism? No previous art expertise is necessary for these two options, just a willingness to give it a go:
The Global Earth Exchange 2023 ‘Sprek Grief! Speak Joy!’ Art/nature events are happening worldwide June 17, 2023. If you’re interested in participating, go here: https://radicaljoy.org/global-earth-exchange/
Also the Climate Change Theater Action has launched their 2023 season, and are wondering if you’d like to host an event this fall? They provide the play, you provide the drama, as a podcast, a reading, a full blown production, whatever you like! For more info: http://www.climatechangetheatreaction.com