Alan Watts' AI awakening

Elliott Starr, a Creative Director at Impero London, and fellow creative Beatriz Zambrano have recently launched a passion project which brings the philosopher Alan Watts back to life using a suite of AI software.

The not-for-profit project's aim is to help people find wisdom, guidance and a more certain sense of self, something Watts dedicated his life to.

'Awakened wisdom in an age of digital overwhelm' is at the heart of the project, which is called Alan Watts; The Awakening, and, in an era dominated by social media and in which algorithms often amplify polarising figures, particularly affecting impressionable youth, Starr and Zambrano saw a unique opportunity. This led the pair to Watts, whose philosophical insights have guided many, including Starr himself, through life's complexities. Starr felt compelled to share these insights with a wider audience, especially in a time when AI companionship is on the rise. 

“People, particularly young people, are searching for guidance. But, too often, the nature of social media can lead them to find answers in troubling places."

After discovering lonely teens are making friends with AI, Starr and Zambrano saw a chance to offer a different kind of influence. “While it’s artificial, and takes a little effort, we can now speak with influential thinkers from the past,” said Zambrano. “Of course, this relies on people like us going to the trouble of training an AI with enough of these influential thinkers' words, and also not abusing the technology.” 

Above: Philosopher Alan Watts dives into the question of healthy relationships. 

“People, particularly young people, are searching for guidance,” Starr explained. "But, too often, the nature of social media can lead them to find answers in troubling places. Figures like Andrew Tate attract vulnerable individuals because their polarising content gains traction online, driven by algorithms that often prioritise engagement over content quality, truth, ethics or morality.” 

To recreate Watts' voice and thoughts, the team fed thousands of his words into a dedicated ChatGPT thread. They then used Google's most searched existential questions to shape responses that reflect Watts' philosophy. These responses were synthesised with ElevenLabs' AI Voiceover technology, before the pair brought them to life in video, hosted on a dedicated YouTube channel. 

Artificial intelligence inspired you to make this film, but can you explain a bit more about the genesis of Alan Watts; The Awakening?

ES: I’ve been a fan of Alan Watts for a long time. I’m not sure exactly when I discovered him, but somewhere between moving to London and the blur of trying to get into advertising, his lectures became my go-to if I was feeling lost, or facing something I couldn’t figure out.

I was drawn in by the beautiful lyricality of how he spoke and, from what I‘ve read, that was often off the cuff - a true orator. But, more than that, I found whatever I had going on in my life, if I listened to or read his work long enough, I’d usually be able to figure the situation out. It’s something I’ve always loved about his work. He has this ability to elevate you 10,000 feet above whatever problem it is you’re facing. You not only see the wood for the trees, you see the whole landscape it’s sitting in. 

But as marketing professor Scott Galloway has said (and I’m probably butchering this); ‘The most dangerous person in the world is a man that is broken and alone.’ 

Young men want to appear to have everything figured out, but we all know they don’t. The planks they use to bridge that gap are mimetic. They copy; older men, the men they overhear in the changing room, at the pub, the men they see in films, and online. The main difference now is that a large amount of a young man’s waking reality is digital and social media. Increasingly, the lens through which they see the world is driven by the people and accounts they follow. 

A large amount of a young man’s waking reality is digital and social media. Increasingly, the lens through which they see the world is driven by the people and accounts they follow. 

Social Media is algorithmically driven. It’s driven by traction and engagement. Traction could be people commenting on a post to say how much they disagree with the content, or how offensive they find it. Traction could be that, due to its offensive nature, the content is being shared far and wide, and the view count is skyrocketing. 

This is where characters like Andrew Tate are gaming the system, hoovering up swathes of lost young men and indoctrinating them into their respective church. I’d read several articles about vulnerable young boys falling into the social clutches of characters like this. I’d also read articles about lonely teens making friends with AI, and I think these dots simply connected in my mind 

I felt there was space for a different kind of influence. Whilst Watts’ personal life was far from perfect, in his work and in the teachings he shared, I feel that different influence exists. At a bare minimum, it’s certainly helped me and several of my friends. I’ve been experimenting heavily with AI for some time now and I was convinced that if I could get hold of enough of his material, I could re-create a version of Alan Watts in AI. The short story of that is, after many hours of inputting and experimenting, I‘m proud to say we managed it, and the results are staggering.

Above: Elliott Star and Beatriz Zambrano.

How did you come to the philosophy of Alan Watts, and what is it about his work that inspires you? 

BZ: What initially attracted me to Alan Watts was his ability to put complex ideas into words, making them easily understandable without detracting any of the depth they held. He had a gift for finding answers to very complex and human questions in a way that I find both profound and liberating at the same time. His gentle and spontaneous way of speaking feels like a conversation with a wise friend who guides you to see the world, and yourself, in a new light. 

[Watts] had a gift for finding answers to very complex and human questions in a way that I find both profound and liberating at the same time.

Surely this is why his teachings transcend time and are not only successful in the era in which he lived, but continue to have profound meaning for those who listen to him today, even in a completely different and evolved world. Alan Watts’ content has been thriving on YouTube for years. But it’s a recycle and rehash. Now, we’re allowing AI to speak new words in his voice, informed by thousands of his own words. 

Above: Is everything going to be ok? Alan Watts lets us know.

Do you think that inspirational thinkers receive less space in the public consciousness because of the overwhelming amount of content available to people?  

BZ: I do. The digital era has brought with it an explosion of information, with countless voices competing for attention, making it easy for even the most profound ideas to get lost in the noise. However, this doesn't mean that inspirational thinkers have to be crowded out. This is when they will have to adapt and use the same digital tools to their advantage: sharing compelling stories, creating engaging content and using social media to create a community around their ideologies. 

The digital era has brought with it an explosion of information, making it easy for even the most profound ideas to get lost in the noise.

The challenge is significant, and surely outside the comfort zone of many, but it is a way to embrace the benefits that come with the digital world, use them to reach a wider audience and make an impact. It’s a timeless law of human nature that no matter how profound your ideas are, and regardless of the platforms through which you share them, you still have to sell and market them. While many influencers may not share ideas as profound as those which originated from Watts, they do know how to sell themselves, their content, and their ideas. 

Above: The digital era has brought an abundance of information, but that doesn't mean profound thinking need be crowded out. 

We're living in a 'post-truth era', which has been exacerbated by technology such as social media; do you think AI can act as a remedy, or might it add to the confusion? 

BZ: It’s an incredibly isolated world we’re living in, despite us being better connected than ever. People are constantly looking for answers. The problem is when algorithms lead them to find things in the wrong places, things which feel like answers. For example, ‘Why do women earn less than men for doing the same job?’ People like Andrew Tate are all over social media supposedly ‘answering’ this question. But his isn’t an ‘answer’ I’d want either of my younger brothers to listen to. 

AI has the potential to be a powerful tool in addressing the challenges of the post-truth era, but it also comes with significant risks.

AI has the potential to be a powerful tool in addressing the challenges of the post-truth era, but it also comes with significant risks. The key to this technology being a remedy lies in how it is regulated and implemented. When used correctly, AI can enhance the accuracy and reliability of information through automated fact-checking and content moderation, quickly detecting and flagging misinformation to ensure credible sources are prioritised over false narratives. 

However, without careful management, AI could amplify the very issues it aims to resolve. For this reason, ethical guidelines and transparency are essential to ensure that AI supports truth and accuracy, rather than contributing to further confusion. 

Above: We may now lead more isolated lives, but is life unfair? 

It seems like we've only scratched the surface of AI's capabilities; where do you hope this technology goes, how do you think it can inspire people, and what do you hope people take away from this project? 

ES: I wasn’t at Cannes this year, but I imagine listening to people saying, "AI won’t replace you, someone using AI will replace you", must have got incredibly boring. First, this simply sounds like corporate double-speak. If you were the head of a global creative network, speaking at what is arguably the creative industry’s biggest annual event, of course, you’re going to say everything is fine, that you’re not going to lose your job. But the unspoken subtext to this is that if you do lose your job, it will be your fault, because you haven’t kept up.

If you were the head of a global creative network, of course, you’re going to say everything is fine, that you’re not going to lose your job. But the unspoken subtext to this is that if you do lose your job, it will be your fault, because you haven’t kept up.

That’s a little annoying, in and of itself, but it’s also not true. Does anyone in the creative industry know for sure AI won’t replace us, or a large percentage of us? Of course they don’t. There are no facts on the future. All we know is where the puck is, and where the puck might be. 

The current AI model doesn’t understand emotions or intuition. It doesn’t have taste or human insight. But, when you look at what it can do, the prospect of the model evolving becomes quite terrifying. Imagine a podcast host that never needs to eat, sleep or take a break. It can host shows with billions of guests simultaneously, and it learns from every conversation it has, connecting and finding the learning and common ground between every conversation it has with every other conversation it has. If a human did that for a few years, they would be a drastically different individual. 

Above: Watts looks at different religions and their approach to humans' role in the world. 

[Entrepreneur and writer] Mo Gawdat has predicted AI will be the smartest thing on Earth by the end of the century (and that by 2049 it will be a billion times more intelligent than humans). I trust his opinion more than a tipsy ad-lander standing on the Carlton Terrace. Regardless of who you listen to, when it comes to whether or not AI will replace us, the jury is still very much out. 

Will ChatGPT have your next Grand Prix-winning idea for you? Highly unlikely. Can it give you 7,000 ideas to help you climb past the low-hanging conceptual fruit at a greater speed? Definitely. 

So, to answer your question, and actually try to inspire people as opposed to crushing their spirit, creative people are driven by output. They want to make. They want to put a piece of themselves into the world. AI offers an exponential Bat Belt of tools with which to do that. 

Will ChatGPT have your next Grand Prix-winning idea for you? Highly unlikely. Can it give you 7,000 ideas to help you climb past the low-hanging conceptual fruit at a greater speed? Definitely. Will Runway produce your next D&AD Film Craft pencil-winning 60-second spot? Highly unlikely. Can the combined force of Midjourney and Runway help you sell the concept to a client? Definitely. 

Above: "We're swimming in an ocean of existence", says Watts.