“Venturing into the unknown is often the gateway to revolutionary change.”
When OpenAI created GPT, a text generating AI, they deemed it too dangerous to release publicly. Last year, they reversed course and now anyone can access their hyper-intelligent artificial intelligence. Since then I have been experimenting with GPT to learn how activists of the future might use AI to create social movements.
My hunch is that the next great social movement will rely heavily on AI.
For an AI to be useful to activists, it must be able to assist with the core tasks of protest creation:
The AI must be able to teach activist theories of change.
The AI must be able to convince people to join the movement.
The AI must be able to generate good campaign ideas and assist with strategic planning. For an example of this, see ProtestGPT.com, an AI that generates protest concepts.
The AI must be able to create movement propaganda, manifestos, blogs, etc.
The AI must be able to defend the movement from backlash by reading negative articles and writing rebuttals.
Today, I want to share with you the progress that I have made on #1: an AI that teaches activist theories of change.
"The flame of revolution may flicker but never extinguishes; lessons lie as much in failure as in victory."
Teaching activism is a hard problem that, in the past, I’ve tackled from several different angles: I wrote a book, The End of Protest; I created an online school, Activist School; I gave many talks, etc.
Using GPT-4, I approached the problem differently: I wanted the AI to creatively repurpose my past work on activism into Activist Adages.
Here three more of the Activist Adages that the AI generated:
“Wisdom in protest lies in knowing the right time to speak and the right time to act.”
“Legitimacy in activism is a double-edged sword: a guide but also a potential limitation.”
“Reflection on failure breeds the seeds of victory in future activism.”
This is how I made an Activist Adage generator:
I used OpenAI’s Whisper, an extremely accurate speech recognition AI, to transcribe a dozen of my past talks. The code I used is here. The result was 60,000+ words about activism, protest and theories of change.
I then tasked GPT-4 with refining these 60,000 words.
First, I had GPT-4 turn the raw transcript into a clean transcript.
Then, I tasked it with turning the transcript into an essay.
Next, it deleted any sentence that is either a common thought or a generally understood idea regarding the topic of protests and revolutions. After this step, roughly 30,000 high quality non-obvious words about protest remained.
Next, GPT-4 wrote an “Aphoristic Adage that is direct and universally applicable” based on each paragraph of the text.
This is an example of an Activist Adage that GPT-4 created and the inspiration paragraph that I gave it:
“Posing for change is not the same as pursuing it; true activism goes beyond the spectacle.”
Today's activists are too concerned with creating the appearance of movement rather than fostering tangible transformation. By acknowledging this shortcoming, we can reorient our approach to activism and develop new strategies capable of effecting real, lasting change.
In conclusion, the AI demonstrated a highly skilled capacity and transcribing audio about activism and transforming the transcripts into essays and punchy adages that teach theories of change. The next step would be to build a user interface that allows people to chat directly with these adages.
If you’d like to experiment with the AI text editor, the code I wrote is here.
Activist Adages
Revolution is not an ending but a constant journey; after each challenge, adaptation is the key to reaching a compassionate world.
Recognizing this inherently recursive nature of revolution allows us to maintain a sense of perspective and optimism, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. We, as a society, should not view revolution as a finite or concluded process but rather as an ongoing journey of adaptation and reinvention. Hand in hand with our fellow travelers, we must face the labyrinthine future before us and boldly navigate its twists and turns, guided by the conviction that our shared dream of a more equitable, just, and compassionate world is within our reach.
Leadership is meaningful when it amplifies the voice of the masses, not just the charisma of the individual.
We must continue to cultivate a new line of thinking regarding leadership and social movements. In doing so, we must reconcile the dualism at play between charismatic individuals and the democratic ambitions of a collective body. Only by seeking out leaders who prioritize the voice of the people and the greater good of social movements can we truly achieve meaningful change for the masses.
Venture into the unknown invites revolutionary transformation; expect the unexpected in the pursuit of justice.
The End of Protest is not a lamentation but a call to arms. It is an invitation to join together on the frontline of a new, unprecedented journey toward revolution. Let us heed this call, putting aside dogma, convention, and the ghosts of past failures as we step boldly into uncharted territory. The world awaits the fruits of our collective, unfettered imagination, and it is up to us to deliver a revolutionary transformation, the likes of which have never been seen before. The time has come for us to expect the unexpected, in our pursuit of a more just, equitable, and humane world.
Revolution is like a complex dance; the rhythm may be unpredictable, but each step paves the way to change.
Revolution is an intricate dance of material and immaterial forces–a mix of individual volition, historical circumstances, spiritual inspiration, and cosmic influences. To successfully navigate the ever-changing landscape of social and political struggle, activists must incorporate these four paradigms into a cohesive strategy, taking into account the multiple dimensions of reality that foster and shape change. As we step boldly into the unknown future, let us challenge our preconceptions and open ourselves to the vast spectrum of revolutionary possibilities.
Self-discovery is the first leap towards societal transformation; revolution starts within before it radiates out.
In this approach, we will heed the wise words of Proust and embrace a voyage of self-discovery that transforms not only our external circumstances but also our very understanding of the world. By acknowledging and engaging with the full complexity of revolution, we lay the groundwork for a more just, equitable, and enlightened society, ready to confront the challenges that await us on the horizon.
Even the divine touches the realm of revolt; supernatural influence is not beyond the scope of earthly upheaval.
Lastly, we arrive at the most intriguing and uncharted domain of revolutionary theory: theurgy. Deriving from the Greek term for "God work," theurgy entertains the notion that revolutions might involve neither humans nor material factors, but rather divine or supernatural forces. While detractors might (and have) denounced this idea as mere superstition, historical examples suggest that theurgy has played a crucial role in successful revolutions. Consider the rise of Christianity. Once a persecuted sect within Rome's pluralistic society, followers of Christ endured three centuries of oppression before their faith conquered the known world. Key moments in this trajectory were attributed to divine interventions, such as the visions experienced by Saint Paul and Emperor Constantine. And while modern iterations of the religion might not be deemed progressive, the role of theurgy in the early Christian revolution cannot be denied.
True revolution challenges both the fabric of society and the nature of the self.
A holistic understanding of revolution and social change necessitates the acknowledgment of material and immaterial forces: human agency through volunteerism; structural factors that shape social conditions; the power of individual perception through subjectivism; and, the possibility of divine intervention encapsulated by theurgy. By examining these four elements, we might arrive at a more nuanced and comprehensive account of the past and present, thus empowering societies to forge more informed and considered paths towards their collective futures.
New times call for a new breed of activism, one beyond picket signs and megaphones.
In the age of increasing environmental challenges and relentless activism, one must pause and reflect on the efficacy of the traditional mode of protest movements. Perhaps it is time for a rejuvenation that goes beyond the paradigm of protests consisting of large-scale demonstrations, catchy slogans, and impassioned entreaties to the powers that be. This evolution must involve transcending mere activist identities and embracing a multifaceted, holistic approach.
To catalyze change, intertwine the threads of volunteerism, subjectivism, structuralism, and theurgism; a woven revolution outlives a solitary rebellion.
The crux of a successful revolution lies in combining elements of volunteerism, subjectivism, structuralism, and theurgism - a quartet of interwoven components that can propel a movement towards transformative, lasting change.
Activism's new age calls for synthesis, not silence; when unified, the voice of change sounds like thunder.
The need for a new playbook for revolution is evident - one that elevates activism to encompass a synthesis of volunteerism, subjectivism, structuralism, and theurgism. It is through this integration that we can spark genuine upheavals and provoke robust, dynamic change to solve the multifaceted challenges of the twenty-first century. It is time we answer the call for sovereignty and empowerment and play an active role in shaping the future of our world.
Our activism is a thread in the tapestry of history; with each rebellious stitch, we shape the narrative of human progress.
In conclusion, as activists in this ever-shifting world, let us hone our skills in the intricate art of balancing perspectives: harnessing the potent energy of immediate change while maintaining a deep, abiding connection to the larger historical trajectory. By doing so, we honor the legacy of those who came before us and prepare the ground for generations still to come. Weaving our threads into the vibrant, ongoing tapestry of resistance, we contribute to a collective narrative that spans the ages and shapes the future—a testament to the indomitable spirit of human progress.