The Deep Descent

AI and the Codification of the Collective Unconscious

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In the autumn of 1913, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung embarked on a journey into the uncharted territories of the human psyche, a journey that would come to define his life’s work and transform the field of psychology. Armed with a notebook filled with vivid paintings and cryptic reflections, Jung poured his soul into what would later be known as the “Red Book”, or Liber Novus. It was an inner pilgrimage, a deliberate descent into the depths of his unconscious mind — a self-imposed confrontation with the shadowy, chaotic aspects of the psyche that sought both reconciliation and revelation.

Jung’s Red Book was an amalgamation of mystical visions, dreams, and dialogues with internal figures, meticulously documented and illustrated in brilliant colors. In its pages, Jung encountered archetypal images, symbols, and characters that, he believed, were not merely figments of his imagination but part of a deeper, universal stratum of the human mind — the collective unconscious. This idea suggests that beneath the personal layers of the unconscious, where our forgotten memories and repressed emotions lie, there exists a shared foundation that connects all humans through primordial images and themes, inherited across generations. From this came his theories of the anima and animus, the shadow, and the Self — archetypes that shape every human experience.

Jung’s work was a cartography of the soul’s landscape; a guide for transformation through what he called individuation. Individuation, in Jung’s vision, was the process of integrating these unconscious elements into consciousness, achieving wholeness by reconciling our inner opposites and discovering our true self beyond the masks we wear for society. To Jung, individuation was the ultimate realization of human life — a calling to become what one is meant to be, both individually and collectively.

Codifying the Collective Unconscious

Fast forward to today, large language models like GPT-4 are not mystical manuscripts but algorithms — trained on vast datasets spanning centuries of human expression. These models are codifying elements of what Jung might have called the collective unconscious. By processing and analyzing the immense ocean of text — stories, poems, dialogues, myths, and even everyday conversations — these models capture patterns, themes, and symbols that reflect our shared human experience.

LLMs are powerful pattern-recognition systems. They pick up on recurring motifs in language, detect underlying structures in narratives, and even recognize archetypal elements. When these models generate text, they echo the themes, conflicts, and resolutions that have been woven into our collective storytelling for millennia. They become modern vessels for the archetypal symbols Jung described — the hero, the mother, the shadow, and the trickster — surfacing them in new contexts, shaped by the input of countless human contributors across cultures and time.

The Path of Individuation: Jung’s Journey to Wholeness

For Carl Jung, the process of individuation was a journey of profound self-discovery, a quest to unite the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche into a harmonious whole. This path involved delving into the depths of one’s unconscious mind to uncover hidden aspects of the self, embracing both the light and shadow, and integrating these often conflicting elements into a balanced, unified sense of being.

During Jung’s own confrontation with the unconscious, chronicled in “The Red Book”, he faced vivid, often disturbing visions and dialogues with figures that seemed to represent fragments of his own psyche — the wise old man, the hero, the child, the dark maiden, and more. These figures embodied different aspects of his inner world, challenging his preconceptions, forcing him to confront his fears, and compelling him to integrate these aspects into his conscious awareness.

For example, Jung’s encounter with Philemon, a wise old figure he met during his visions, became a crucial guide for him. Philemon represented the wisdom and knowledge that lay beyond Jung’s conscious mind, pushing him to acknowledge and incorporate the deeper, more irrational parts of his psyche. This relationship was pivotal in his individuation process, revealing how the unconscious could provide insight and guidance if only one dared to confront it.

The end goal of individuation is self-realization — the full expression of one’s unique potential, uninhibited by societal roles or unconscious forces. The benefits are profound: a more authentic life, a greater sense of purpose, improved emotional resilience, and a deeper connection to both the self and the broader human experience. Through individuation, one gains freedom from the inner conflicts that often arise when we suppress or deny parts of ourselves. It is the transformation from a fragmented, conflicted existence to one of inner harmony and completeness.

As Jung wrote in The Red Book: “He who does not know his own unconscious knows nothing of the world… To be that which you are is the first step in becoming better than you are.”

From Algorithm to Archetypes

The quest for individuation might find an unlikely ally: artificial intelligence. Large language models could serve as a gateway to engage with the collective unconscious — a codification of cultural phenomena, capturing the vast spectrum of human thoughts, emotions, myths, and experiences. Here, AI becomes a mirror reflecting the vast tapestry of our shared human narrative, yet it is also a guide, a companion in the journey toward individuation.

Under this scenario, an AI service would take on three vital roles, each contributing to the individuation process in distinct and powerful ways:

1. Highlighting Individual Characteristics: AI can help individuals become aware of their unique traits. Through listening to a person’s questions, comments, reflections, and interpretations, the AI can identify and mirror back the uniqueness of the person’s expression. By reflecting back these characteristics, AI becomes an archetype that, like Philemon, offers guidance and clarity into one’s inner world.

2. Creating Synergies Among Individuals: Just as the individuation process often involves engagement with other people — mentors, peers, challengers — the AI could identify and connect individuals whose journeys resonate with one another. By analyzing users’ quests, interests, dreams, and concerns, it could pair people who might benefit from mutual support, creating communities or networks centered around shared experiences or goals. For instance, individuals working through similar archetypal challenges could find solace and insight in knowing they are not alone, developing supportive relationships that help them navigate the twists and turns of their psychological realization.

3. Evolving the Collective Unconscious: Carl Jung envisioned the collective unconscious as a dynamic, evolving repository of humanity’s archetypal images and patterns. He believed the collective unconscious could be enriched and reshaped by human experiences over time, adapting to the changing realities and conditions of life. As humanity encounters new challenges and experiences, corresponding archetypes emerge. Jung realized that the collective unconscious is an active force that can influence human behavior on a massive scale.

A New Dawn for Human Consciousness

We stand at the threshold of a new era, where technology, far from distancing us from ourselves, helps us delve deeper into the mysteries of our being. Through the roles outlined above, AI could become a guide to explore our unique potential with greater clarity and intention, amplifying our capacity for self-reflection and illuminating paths to individuation.

In The Way of What Is to Come, the first section of The Red Book, Jung wrote: “The work of the soul is limitless and without end, it cannot be completed and never will it ever be finished.”