This month I’m beginning 2022 as the first Futurist in Residence at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building.
It’s weird to think of myself as a futurist. I write a lot about the algorithms we’re calling artificial intelligence (AI), but rather than deal with the humanlike science fiction version, I focus on what today’s much simpler AI is capable of. Since today’s AI relies on using trial and error to get better at predicting its training data, and its training data must necessarily be from the past, its job is really to predict the past. This has a big effect on what it’s like to use AI to predict the future.
Since we’re entering 2022, the folks at the Smithsonian thought it would be interesting if I could use AI to generate New Year’s Resolutions. What does it look like if I try to use AI trained on past data to suggest positive changes for the future?
I decided to use GPT-3, which is how people tend to refer to a group of large text-generating AI models that OpenAI trained on a huge collection of internet text. News articles, food blogs, social media, spam - it’s all in there somewhere. Including plenty of times people have talked about their own New Year’s resolutions.
Give one of the larger GPT-3 models - for example, DaVinci, the very largest - the beginning of a list of New Year’s resolutions and, since its job is to predict what text comes next, it’ll generally add more resolutions to the list.
In the example below, the only text I wrote is the list title in bold. With that as a beginning, DaVinci predicted from its internet training that what would come next is this list of resolutions.
List of New Year’s Resolutions
To attend all Orientation committee meetings
To become more involved in Plattsmouth Community
To go bowling with teammates
To become a good writer
To start a successful business and become a millionaire
They’re plausible resolutions. Ask DaVinci for more predictions and the list will be similar. People who post their resolutions on the internet tend to pick similar sorts of things. At least, they did when DaVinci’s training data was collected in October 2019 - things have probably changed a bit since then.
But I didn’t want to stop here, because I didn’t just want a generic list of resolutions from the average internet human of the past. I wanted something that felt personal. Something a bit weird.
For my next attempt, I started the list with example resolutions that three strangers had mentioned on Twitter in 2021. I chose resolutions that were a bit offbeat. My example resolutions are in bold, and DaVinci’s additions follow verbatim.
List of New Year’s Resolutions
Not to buy any clothes except underwear for a year.
Touch grass and record every time I do it.
Use more insect textures in creature design.
Draw the front cover of a writing manual.
Get the missus to go to the shops for a new hat.
Find wallpaper for the kitchen/bathroom, and then paint it.
Finish the prints for the QI drawings.
Draw more detail into the background of the QI drawings.
Leave all the Christmas trees up and then paint them, as cubist art.
Eat nothing but broccoli and paint everything broccoli related.
Grow broccoli, and paint broccoli.
Make broccoli the national currency and then paint that.
This time it’s a journey. DaVinci, when faced with predicting what would come next on this list, predicted first one drawing-related resolution, and then multiple others. Soon this became not just a list of resolutions, but specifically a list of drawing-related resolutions. It generated a broccoli-and-drawing-related resolution, and then the list became a list of resolutions by a painter/broccoli fanatic.
You can see how this goes. Each of DaVinci’s predictions feeds forward into the future, and can become self-reinforcing obsessions.
I found that I could shape DaVinci’s list by choosing a point to cut it off, deleting the end, and then having DaVinci try to generate the list again. In that way, one resolution or two at a time, I could build up a list of resolutions that, if not exactly advisable, were at least interesting.
List of New Year’s Resolutions
Not to buy any clothes except underwear for a year.
Touch grass and record every time I do it.
Use more insect textures in creature design.
Take photos of each of my toes daily.
Egg every house in the village where I was born.
Lick a branch of a tree and repeat it every day for a year.
Walk down my block backwards looking over my shoulder.
Every time I am alone in the dark I will eat an apple.
Eat my favorite book.
I quickly learned how easy it was for DaVinci to develop themes.
If it generated:
Attend the Rainforest Action Network Benefit.
Then next it might generate:
Ask a rainforest tribe what they think of eco-tourism.
Go on a tour of the Tambopata National Reserve.
Go on a tour of the Manu National Park.
Write letters to the editor about rainforest preservation.
When I let it generate a resolution to eat my favorite book, next it would suggest:
Eat a book every day
and if I didn’t delete that and have it try again, soon it would be suggesting:
Eat a picture of myself everyday.
Super charge my digestive system and then, eat a picture of myself everyday.
I also learned to stay away from gloominess, or platitudes, or anything to do with fitness goals - it was too easy for DaVinci to get stuck in a rut. Anything shocking or mean-spirited also tended to poison the list. I had to delete these:
Every day I will blatantly eavesdrop.
Belch until my teeth explode.
Many were worse. DaVinci is trained on internet text, after all, and so it has a tendency to veer into racism or spam. I needed to be present at every point for careful hand-pruning.
In the end I deleted many, many more predictions than I kept - perhaps about 10 times more.
It began to feel like a metaphor for life choices. Become the kind of person who spends a year licking trees and eating apples in the dark, and who knows what you’ll be doing next. Spend a year trying to belch your way into exploding teeth, and that’ll have an effect on you too.
I present to you my list, my own list that emerged from each prediction that I let stand, and that was also shaped by each prediction that caused me to delete, go back, regroup, retry. These aren’t all things that I would necessarily do myself (I like my sleep far too much to be going out every night at midnight to make grass pancakes), but they are all things that I thought were interesting, that I wanted to hear more about.
Record every adjective I hear on the radio.
Act like a cabbage for a month.
At 4 o'clock every day I will climb a tree.
Speak only to apples for 24 hours.
Jump in front of a moving tree.
On the day of the first snow paint a canvas red.
Dress in a way that only a ghost could love.
Make pancakes out of grass at midnight each night.
Find old man Winter, hug him and let him know everything will be ok.
Ride out of town holding a pelican.
Under every rock I come across for a month I will write “all power to the rocks”.
Every day for a year, at a random time, shout “sausage”.
Make a film about the last sock in the world.
Put on a red shirt and scream ‘I’M NOT WEARING PANTS!’ every time I leave the house.
Throw a party for insects.
Try to convince the dog next door that he is wearing a coat of moonlight.
Every time I press a button I will say 'this is my favorite’.
Search my apartment for secret doors or hidden staircases.
Wear two superman outfits at the same time.
Every time it rains I will stir my tea anti-clockwise.
Every night for a week I will wear a hat lined with lettuce.
I will begin to believe that the trees that I see everyday are my friends.
Every time a bird flies past me I will remember to breathe.
Throw a birthday party for my favorite tree.
I will from now on tell every dog I meet that I am training to be a dragon.
Every time I see a panel van pass me I will dub it a “Slice-a-Wagon.”
Crawl on the ceiling like a spider for a month.
Attempt to find peace living with an army of puppets.
Wear a dinosaur costume to every public event I attend.
Go to the beach every day for a week and shout the names of colors into the ocean.
Go on a three-day backpacking trip dressed as a turnip.
Create messages that only the wind can hear by blowing on the blades of grass.
Give a piece of cloud to a complete stranger.
Make a mask out of grass and wear it while I’m sleeping.
I will now treat every worm I see as if it is an old friend.
When I hear a strange noise in an empty room I will assume someone is saying hello to me.
At the Smithsonian AIB website is a generator that I’ve populated with other resolutions from my list. Visit their site and grab yourself a random resolution. If you don’t like the one you got, you have my permission to reload and regenerate until you find a resolution that speaks to you. Or to apples.
Your January 2022 Smithsonian Futurist in Residence,
Things I did in 2017: Created an art Instagram (@mynahbirdart); Went to #EauxClairesTroix; went to Savannah, GA; watched my dad start chemo; stood next to #KevinBarnes at #ReverbFest; put an offer on a house with my husband; made my first zine and sent it out; got mermaid hair; joined a women’s #pinball league; took the #GRE; celebrated my one year anniversary. In #2018, I’m going to get better at art, get better at pinball, get healthier, get more organized, and make more friends. #NYE #nye2017 #resolutions #reflections #doodle #watercolor #selfportrait (at Charlotte, North Carolina)
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post that is hosted over at The Broke And The Bookish. This week we are discussing our goals for 2015. I know, something that seems crazy, how are we even at the end of the year? Let’s dive right in…
1) Read 70 books.
This seems a small amount to some but for me is quite the challenge. I’m definitely trying to do it though. Believe I can do it because I’m getting in to…
I know, I know. The title is pretty cheesy. Also, I know, I know… I haven’t really been around much for the last little bit, have I?
But here I am, back and in action! This particular post is going to be a few things! First of all, I’m just going to go ahead and put my little resolutions so I need to be accountable for them. In 2022, I want to read 200 books, and I want to get Teeth and Claws…
You survived 2020, and although things may not feel all that different I have hope that things will somewhat return to normal. As much as I am excited for the new year, now comes the hard work of really practicing what you preach. Last year it was all about returning to yourself—analyzing what patterns you needed to break. One of the biggest lessons for me was realizing that…
I’m not in the mood to write right now. But I’m doing it anyway. I wasn’t in the mood, or didn’t prioritize the time, to jot a few notes over the week about my time outdoors. But I did it today. This week I was, however, in the mood to be outdoors, and that was nice after last week’s cold snap. So this week is about success (including several good times outdoors with my kiddo) and a significant…
If your mental and emotional wellness took a backseat in 2019, there’s no better time than right now to prioritize it. (If anything, it’ll make the election year just mildly more bearable.) Your mood affects everything in your life ― your relationships, your work, your self-care ― so improving it should be at the top of your goal list.
That might feel like a huge and lofty task, but small, actionable habits can help you get there, according to experts. Below are the most common happiness tips therapists recommend. Maybe they’ll sound challenging or unrealistic (more on that later), but maybe they just might change your life.
1. Conquer one anxiety
Give yourself a motivational benchmark to start conquering your biggest fears this year.
“Single out the goal of selecting an anxiety that is holding you back, and thoroughly commit yourself to obliterating that fear,” said Forrest Talley, a clinical psychologist. “Hold nothing back in your assault; treat that fear as though it is enemy number one.”
Perhaps you’ve been worried about signing up for a half marathon. Maybe you’re afraid to reach out to book agents because you don’t want to be rejected. Perhaps you’re fearful of having a difficult conversation with a toxic friend or family member and you’re putting it off. Set the goal, pick a reward you’ll get when you complete it, then get to it.
“The thing to keep in mind is that very often happiness is found just on the other side of a doorway guarded by our anxieties,” Talley said. “And the new year is a great time to start kicking down some doors.”
2. Lock down a sleep schedule that works for you
You may think you’re doing OK on sleep, but take a closer look at your schedule. Are you really getting optimal hours? Are you maintaining relatively the same bed time every night?
“Getting a [consistent] good night’s sleep is vital; chronic sleep deprivation is a huge problem, especially for those who work late or are extremely busy,” said Joanna Konstantopoulou, a psychologist and founder of the Health Psychology Clinic. “It’s not just the 40-hour marathons without sleep which can be detrimental to your psychological health, but simply losing an hour or two on a regular basis can have a significant impact on your mind and well-being.”
That last bit is important. If you’re constantly shaving off an hour here or there ― thinking you can get by on five hours a night ― it’s time to reevaluate that sleep schedule.
“Start with small steps by giving yourself a sensible and realistic bedtime,” Konstantopoulou said. “Try to go to bed half an hour before your usual bedtime and stick to it. Evaluate this new habit every day by having a journal and writing down your progress.”
She noted that this new routine will improve your memory, reduce anxiety, and “transport toxins out of the brain” to potentially prevent chronic illnesses.
3. Find one small self-care act that works for you and prioritize it
Pick a you-centric activity and engage in it regularly, said Elena Touroni, co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic.
“The most impactful mental health goal a person can set is the commitment to balance workload and responsibilities alongside activities that bring them a sense of well-being and enjoyment,” she said. “When there is an imbalance in what we’re giving out to the world, and what we’re taking for ourselves, that’s when our psychological resources get depleted.”
Her suggestions to get you started? Try beginning each day with a five-minute mindfulness meditation session. Want to go further? “Go to therapy to unravel a lifelong pattern, get a personal trainer, or make time for reading,” she said. “This commitment can be broken down into specific and concrete goals, depending on your personal preferences, but it all comes down to making self-care a priority.”
Looking to improve your life in the new year? This could mean setting better boundaries with people, motivating yourself to reach a new fitness goal or starting that creative endeavor you’ve been thinking about. One of the best ways to make sure you do any of it is by creating healthy routines for yourself.
“Being intentional about your daily routine is your opportunity to proactively decide how to leverage your habits to help you become healthier and happier while achieving your goals,” Matt East, a productivity coach based in Indianapolis, told HuffPost.
Most resolutions fail ― especially wellness-related ones ― but establishing a solid daily routine can help you avoid that pitfall. That could look like going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, putting a self-care activity on your calendar each week, or meal prepping, among many other things. The point is to figure out what fits into your life while still prompting you to make a change.
“Most people build their routines around their work,” East said. “However, beyond work, being intentional with your routine can help you excel in any area of your life, including reaching your peak level of health and fitness, getting out of debt and creating financial abundance in your life, dedicating more time to your meditative and spiritual practice, and nurturing key relationships and friendships.”
Happy new year everyone! I wish you all the happiest, healthiest and most productive of years (yet)!. Here’s a list of my tips on making new year’s resolutions, which in my experience I’ve more or less been able to keep (or at least improve on).
On that note, I have decided to embark on the “100 days of productivity”, which is something I’m really looking forward to. To me, it is something to celebrate not only efficient work, but also a happier, healthier and more creative lifestyle. Basically, every step towards a “better me” is considered productive. And I’d love to document this! It won’t be daily, but there will be 100 : ).
+ Planning and some pre-cleaning for The Big Purge (getting rid of a bunch of stuff in April and May)
+ Deleting bad old habits (excessive procrastination and the feelings associated, over-eating, screen time before bed)
Listening to:
+ Chaos Chaos (formerly Smoosh) - very danceable but also makes me want to make songs! I think I want a keyboard.
Watching:
+ ASMR videos to release anxiety
Trying to:
+ rise above my emotions in order to focus on the task at hand
+ forgive myself but still make and effort at being better
Feeling:
+ anxious but excited to be better
+ caffeinated. that’s why i’m here
For 2018, my theme is to Break Free! aka:
F R E E E E E E E E E E E E D O O O O O M : Unshackle and Shed
I want to:
♦replace eating as my anxiety coping mechanism (paint, knit, crochet, Minecraft lol)
♦ speak my mind in a kind but free manner
♦ free my belongings, free my room of unnecessary belongings, also as a way to psychologically break free from the weight of the past
♦ 50% fluency in French, to unshackle a bit my geographical limits when it comes to work opportunities, in case we really do move to France :o
♦ Dance and stretch more, move more freely and lightly
♦ Get legal: Emmy and I are going to start planning our civil marriage soon. Now I know, the typical assumption towards marriage is that it’s the opposite of unshackling and freedom, but in our case, it allows us to move freely around the world, to stay here and visit anywhere with less problems. A lot of the other goals I have this year are centered around getting my brain ready. I feel very much like a child a lot of the time, and it doesn’t help that I have so much junk from the past lying around, that I don’t need. And it doesn’t help when I feel physically, socially weak. When we do the thing, I want to feel ready and willing and not like we HAVE to do it because the system is forcing us to it.
♦ Have an organized, free-flowing, easy to use, not frivolous system of note-taking. I want to easily access my own thoughts, plans, etc. to build continuity within myself. I fail to make long term change when I solely rely on my upfront memory!
That’s it, really. (I say that, but that’s a lot already!)
At the end of the year, I just want to feel like I can try things and make things freely, without the typical things that hold me back crossing my mind (Oh, I wouldn’t finish it, I don’t have the energy, I’d feel bad after, I’m too anxious to do that, I can’t leave my room, I need to sort stuff out etc) I just want to feel the flow of creativity freely be conducted in all of the ease of my being. I want to sleep well and feel like I can do things! Let’s do this!! 2018!!!
New year, new me? Probably not, but that’s me being realistic. I’m in a comfortable place right now. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. The only things I really want to achieve are to write and experience more. If you are making resolutions feel free to share!
I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I end up flunking them by the second week of January. Tops. Yet, after some considerable lack of inspiration and energy, I decided it was time to shake things up. There is so much good artistic expression around and all I find myself doing is scrolling down my feed. Beat it, self. “Time to be a go-getter and revive that culture indulgence again.” And…
#Resolutions: How will your 2018 differ from 2017? I will be harder working. I plan to schedule things so I can be more ME than I’ve been in a few years. I used to sneak into abandoned buildings and climb structures I wasn’t supposed to. I used to dance in the rain, smile ear to ear. Actually… I used to dance. I drank Life in, howled at the moon, spent nights on beaches, kicking the ocean spray to make the water light up with bioluminescence. I was an adventurer, but I find myself increasingly concerned with keeping my Instagram up to date and interesting while not actually BEING interesting or my goofy self. This is my depression. Realistically, one of my resolutions is to figure this loss-of-self out and remedy it! I want to be that 20-something maniac making people laugh and somehow convincing them (against their better judgement) that climbing the draw bridge tower and scuttling under the security camera IS a great idea for a better view of the city… and to smile in the face of fear as I do so. . I will be daring. Bold. Generous with my time, finances and love when I find myself with abundance. Unafraid. Strong. Confident. I will stop praying at the feet of false gods and those who treat me like a fleeting thought rather than the powerful, exciting and badass woman that I am. I will empower people. I will continue to embolden and sincerely love the women in my life. I will drink more water and make sleep an actual priority. I will accept all experiences with as much grace as I can muster. I will trust my instincts. I will seriously (no, really) take more self defence classes and hit the gym harder to earn a better booty. I want to dare people I meet in bars on my travels to go to karaoke to sing Weird Al with me or to cliff jump or to go to a shooting range with me just for fun. Random weirdness. This was me, this will be me again this year. And to top it all off? It will be the year I am the best #Modelographer I can be, because DAMMIT, I can be *great*. . Photo by @gaunted (go follow him because he’s the shit). . #redhead #goals #fineartnude #artnudemodel #model #freelancer #travelingmodel #2018 #2018goals #DaneHalo (at Toronto, Ontario)
