The BIG Takeaway™ newsletter By Rich Trombetta Jan. 30, 2023
Using examples from TV, movies and sports to launch a journey toward peace and happiness at work, at home...in life. Grab the remote and change your life.™
Is the joy in the journey or the destination? Artificial intelligence (AI) weighs in
The context "War Games" is a 1983 film that stars Matthew Broderick as high school student David Lightman.
"While trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions.
Together with his girlfriend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent [which is a computer] and prevent a nuclear Armageddon." (source: The Movie Database)
The movie highlights the powers, potential- and dangers - of artificial intelligence.
The film features the famous line "Shall we play a game?" when Broderick accesses what he does not realize is a defense computer.
Please watch this movie if you haven't seen it or if it has been a while. Entertaining, fun and powerful messaging.
Go deeper It is amazing that this movie was made in 40 years ago; the questions it provokes and the messages it sends are as applicable today as they were in the early 80s - how much is too much with AI (artificial intelligence)?
This week saw a proliferation of stories about ChatGPTwhich allows users to access an AI interface and write poetry, essays and even answer questions on MBA and law school exams.
There is also another site called GPTZero that attempts to help educators and others assess whether a story has been written by ChatGPT.
This is all starting to have a good versus evil theme to it, especially as it relates to morals, ethics and the impact on everything from student essays to how news and facts are communicated.
The big question
The focus on AI is very much on the output and what it produces for the user.
My question is,"are we losing the happiness of doing by focusing so much on the output and results?"
Speaking for myself, there are tasks I would love AI to perform for me; writing this newsletter is not one of them.
Yes, using AI would free up hours in my week and, at the same time, it would be robbing myself of the joy I experience sitting down to create this content.
Speaking of content, check out Ryan Reynold's experience of asking ChatGPT to write an add for his company, Mint Mobile. Fun stuff.
Consider this
Research has shown that focusing too heavily on outcomes, such as winning or achieving a specific goal, can lead to increased stress and pressure, and may negatively impact performance. On the other hand, focusing on the process and the effort put into completing a task can lead to greater enjoyment and satisfaction, as well as improved performance.
For example, studies have shown that athletes who focus on the process of their training and performance tend to have better results than those who focus solely on winning or achieving a specific outcome. Similarly, students who focus on the process of learning, such as understanding and engaging with the material, tend to perform better academically than those who focus solely on getting good grades.
Additionally, research also suggest that people who focus on the process rather than the outcome tend to be more resilient, more adaptive and have a better mental health. They also have a better ability to cope with failure and disappointment, and have a more sustainable motivation over time.
In summary, research suggests that abalance of both process and outcome focus can be beneficial for achieving success and maintaining well-being.
NOTE: I didn't write that last section. It was generated by ChatGPT after I entered the prompt "What does research say about process versus outcomes?" Interesting.
Connect the dots
In "War Games" the computer could only take things so far; ironically, it had to experience a particular scenario so it could learn. NOTE: This is the closing game scene from the movie if you want to watch it.
It is through these experiences and the journeys we take that we grow, learn and feel wide ranges of emotions like joy, awe and happiness.
If the emphasis is too much on the result (the score, the grade, the goal) then we miss out where we might be gaining the most satisfaction (the process, the doing).
Think of it this way - we can get joy from the painting (noun) AND from the painting (verb).
My BIG Takeaway
I need to keep reminding myself that so much of my happiness comes from doing, not simply accomplishing.
Parting thoughts Please know I do not think AI is bad or evil; this is simply about asking, "are we using technology wisely enough so that we are still doing the things in life that bring us happiness and joy?" With that in mind I think I will end with this output from, you guessed it, ChatGPT.
It's important to remember that happiness is not a destination but a journey, and the key is to find the balance that works for you. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and what makes you happy may be different from what makes someone else happy.
Quote for the week "If we only focus on the outcome, we might miss the beauty of the journey and the learning that comes with it." - Unknown...via ChatGPT (how do we cite a machine?)
That's all for now Thanks for reading and please remember:
We archive our stories and put them here for the world to read so feel free to have a look.
If you have any ideas or feedbackContact me with your thoughts.
Rich Trombetta @trombettarich
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