The Cargo Cult

"All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter." MAX PLANCK, the Father of Quantum Mechanics.As a species, we have long wrestled with the nature and role of our own consciousness in the unfolding of existence around us. Are we observer, or the one being observed? Are we creator, or the one being created? Do we have a seat at the table of existence, or are we merely a single chip in some unfathomable and larger game? Our technology is reaching a tipping point where these kinds of questions are more important than ever. We are poking at the very substrates of existential reality with tools and understanding that are little better than sharpen bamboo. If we do not yet see or understand Planck's 'force of existence', how can we even begin to comprehend the effects of our actions?For instance, whether we realize it not, AI is already deeply embedded within nearly every aspect of modern civilization. This isn't just automated call centers and help lines - these functions are only the tip of the AI iceberg. The true mass of AI is what is known as deep learning - providing a single set of algorithms that enables AI to learn how to drive a car or diagnose absent of human direction. Absent of human direction - and human understanding.Combine this with the fact that we are just a few short years away from creating a quantum compute device that is capable of more simultaneous calculations than there are atoms in the known universe.What questions will we ask these fabricated units of consciousness to solve? Are we prepared - morally, socially, and existentially - for the answers we might be given?