As we approach ChatGPT’s second birthday, it’s astonishing to see how quickly our interactions with emerging technologies are reshaping what we consider possible, and also how we as a society value the data we all collectively create.
We started with the “second brain”—our personal files, notes, digitised paper trails, all tidily organised to relieve our overtaxed minds. A handy way to keep track of ideas, but ultimately an individual’s siloed knowledge base. Now with the rise of large language models (LLMs) we are seeing the start of something bigger: a shared “digital twin” of text, a collective second brain with a natural language interface. Text is searchable, easy to store, rich in meaning, and now there is a front end for turning our accumulated words into a living, responsive knowledge pool.
As we engage with it, we’re shaping a digital version of our world that parallels, learns from, and increasingly resembles our physical reality. This view underscores that what we’re building isn’t just another tool, but a dynamic mirror of human consciousness, reflecting back not only our knowledge but our values, biases, and quirks. As we contribute to this digital twin, our collective knowledge transforms from mere data into something with deeper cultural and societal weight, an asset we’re barely beginning to understand.
Whilst this evolution makes it easier to access the collective input of our written thoughts, experiences, and knowledge, it’s not flawless. Our challenge now is to shape this digital twin thoughtfully, managing bias and accuracy while making it available to everyone. It’s not just a shift in technology; it’s a fundamental change in how we collectively remember, think, and communicate. We’re shaping the way future generations will understand our thoughts, ideas, and culture – our legacy.