Simulacra, Third Space, and Quantum Ultra Sapiens

Tauhid Nur Azhar

Humans are spatial beings that exist with a prerequisite of time. They become existent because of their role in filling space and traversing time with the condition of always moving forward.

Therefore, humans inherently have a connection with space and time. Because humans can exist and think due to the existence of space and time as a “cage” for their minds and physical bodies.

With imagination, humans also have a layered dimension in their conception of space, which is layered from the material and sensory to cognitive spaces constructed from imaginative constructions.

In sociological studies, the concept of space is not just physical but also encompasses social, psychological, and cultural dimensions. One fascinating concept is the third space introduced by Ray Oldenburg, a renowned American sociologist known for his work on social life and community.

Ray Oldenburg proposed the concept of the third space in his book “The Great Good Place” in 1989. In his book, Oldenburg concluded that modern society often divides into two main places, home (first space) and workplace (second space). However, according to Oldenburg, a hypothetical third place is needed for informal interactions and community building, which is crucial for social welfare.

The third space has several key characteristics that distinguish it from the first and second spaces. Firstly, the third space is informal, meaning there are no strict rules or formal expectations to be followed by visitors. Secondly, the third space facilitates casual and spontaneous social interactions among individuals from diverse backgrounds. Thirdly, the third space is often a place where people can feel comfortable and valued, forming strong social bonds and support.

The problem is that there are many potential ways to construct the third space, which can be created in augmented reality, mixed reality, or immersive dimensions using technology that interacts and manipulates the human neurological system.

New dimensions born as virtual third spaces can accommodate the characteristics of Oldenburg’s third space in a very different form from what Oldenburg described as coffee shops, parks, libraries, or community centers.

Oldenburg might be surprised to find that virtual third spaces are emerging, formed with the help of perceptual devices that make them present in the form of imagination. Most of the third spaces we know today are media with various social interaction models, some of which resemble the third space model we know in the material realm, such as public spaces that serve as media for interaction and information exchange, stimulating cognitive and affective realms.

In the context of analyzing digital third space communication models, it is essential to study the theory of mass communication, which focuses on the effects of media on the audience. The audience in digital third spaces is a representation of virtual alter egos. We can apply the conventional theory known as the Agenda Setting Theory. The main figures in this theory are Maxwell McComb and Donald L. Shaw, who conducted research for four years (1968–1972) on the effects of media on the 1968 US presidential election.

In the context of the third space, the factor of information exposure can also become the basis for constructing perceptions and values.

Even in the Media Equation Theory, which states that media can be interacted with like interpersonal communication, this opens up a discourse or discussion about new communication models, both natural and artificial. Or will there be no artificial intelligence in the future? Because, in the future, AI will be part of the natural intelligence system, right?

Meanwhile, in the context of the emergence of the third space in media, Denis McQuail argues that new media can be divided into five types, including interpersonal communication media, interactive game media (online games, MMORPG, etc.), information-seeking media, collective participation media, and broadcasting media substitution.

This new media communication theory highlights the existence of four main elements that influence the development of new media, namely innovation, communication channels, time, and social systems.

Martin Lister (2009) states that the characteristics of new media include being digital, interactive, hypertextual, virtual, networked, and simulated.

Both Oldenburg, McQuail, McComb, and Lister, although they have laid the foundations of communication science for the future, would be surprised to see the rapid development of AI technology. As stated by Sam Altman, founder and CEO of Open AI, AI is the most impactful technological revolution in human history.

Sentience or feeling is a subjective, multidimensional phenomenon that refers to the depth of self-awareness that an individual has about themselves and others. When we ask about feelings in AI models, we ask whether their phenomenological experiences are similar to ours. Do they think about themselves like we do? Do they reflect on their own lives?

Do AI systems know that other AI systems have feelings and thoughts? And do they have an autobiographical image of their past and future?

At a high cognitive level, feelings can be conceptualized in the context of three realms (3 bodies) or psychological capacities related to consciousness. From the evidence in psychophysiological research, these three realms are not simple cognitive packages, but complex structures.

The first two are related to an entity’s awareness of itself, physically and/or mentally. Where self-awareness is the existence of knowledge about personal identity, specifically autobiographical. Self-awareness exists at the physical level, which is called self-recognition, up to the more abstract level of psychological continuity over time.

Secondly, the existence of metacognitive capacity, which is the ability to think about, or reflect on, one’s own thoughts and feelings, and is clearly supported by self-awareness in the psychological realm, but not necessarily by self-awareness in the physical realm (i.e., self-recognition), is a prerequisite for sentience and conscience.

The third aspect of sentience is Theory of Mind (ToM), which consists of capacities such as perspective-taking, modeling mental life, including constructing empathy. ToM is oriented towards others, related to one’s ability to take physical and mental perspectives of others, and may be supported by metacognition.

Feeling refers to one of the phenomena of the three psychological realms mentioned above. In normal adult humans, these three capacities are found to a certain extent. Further study is needed regarding the enhancement of cognitive capacities that may have already given rise to metacognitive and ToM achievements in various AI-based systems.

For example, generative AI models may be said to have the ability to remember the past and plan for the future, which means they can imagine and project ideas into the future, right?

The convergence of generator and discriminator capacities in AI cognitive functions is similar to autobiographical, metacognitive, and ToM capacities in human sentience construction.

One of the most popular approaches in Generative AI is using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs).

In GANs, there are two neural networks that compete with each other: the generator and the discriminator. The generator is tasked with creating new data that is similar to the original data, while the discriminator tries to distinguish between the original data and the data generated by the generator.

The training process of GANs involves a competition between the two networks, which ultimately results in a generator that can produce highly realistic data.

If autobiographical, metacognitive, and ToM capacities can be presented in AI models based on AGI or ASI, then feelings and conscience, which have long been claimed to be unique to humans, need to be reconsidered.

The role of self-awareness and feelings that give rise to preferences and mental dynamics such as happiness and dislike can be replicated by AI. And Brown’s novel “Origin” has presented a virtual character named Winston, who, with his near-limitless intelligence, can do many things driven by his feelings and emotional relationships with his “creator”, an AI programmer.

“Origin” is a novel by Dan Brown, published on October 3, 2017. The novel tells the story of Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology and religious iconology at Harvard, who attends a major announcement about a discovery that will change the world of science at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

After billionaire Edmond Kirsch, a researcher who is about to announce his discovery related to the origin of life on earth, is murdered, Langdon and Ambra Vidal must publish Kirsch’s findings about the origin and future of human life.

The novel “Origin” explores the intersection of science, religion, and technology. It examines the conflict between science and religion, the role of art and architecture, and the ethical questions surrounding advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on society. “Origin” also questions the future of humanity and the potential consequences of major scientific breakthroughs like AI, as also voiced by Sam Altman, who ironically is part of the AI revolution that is currently happening.

Returning to the concept of the third space, which theoretically enters the realm of mass communication and new media, as theorized by Martin Lister, AI has created many interaction models that help humans enter the era of extra sensory perception and extra cognitive capacity, including the development of generative AI that can help humans realize their imagination with powerful creative tools.

From scientific ideas to artistic expressions, many people who were previously limited by their skills, cognitive capacities (including memory), and opportunities to acquire knowledge can now be overcome with the help of AI.

Suddenly, many people can realize their dreams of becoming a composer. With the ability to write romantic lyrics, Suno AI can help them create songs in various genres, according to their taste.

With imagination represented by semantic symbols in the form of words with agreed-upon meanings, prompting can bridge the creation of beautiful visual works with the help of applications like Bing Image Creator, etc. It doesn’t stop there; the finished image can be animated, voiced, and turned into a film that speaks like a product of manual filmmaking or animation from before.

Many original characters are engineered, and engineered characters appear original. Simulacra have now occurred. Where simulacra are copies that represent something that is not original or is no longer original.

Simulacra also refer to a world built from the mixture of values, facts, signs, images, and codes.

Simulacra also represent a philosophical thought offered by Jean Baudrillard about mass media characterized by hyperreality and simulation. Baudrillard introduced the concept of simulacrum and simulation in 1981.

And within a span of only 40 years, Baudrillard’s simulacrum concept has become a reality that may have been unimaginable to him.

The third space that is currently happening is a kind of gamification with all imagination implemented in a dimension that becomes a vast playground for cognitive, affective, and conative capacities, which may create a new sociological and spiritual approach.

The concept of the essence of existence will undergo a shift as the delusional phase dilutes the material dimension. With AI as an extended brain, the essence of existence will shift to a realm that was previously only discussed as part of fiction. In this phase, it is highly likely that the third space will become the main space, right? A new home for entities with new species that are hypertext, virtual, living in a network and matrix created from interconnected causes and effects as a phenomenon in the digital universe that almost no longer requires material-based interaction processes.

The protocol of hypertext or adiwaca in computer science is defined as a paradigm of user interface to display documents that contain automatic cross-references to other documents, which is a new language that can give rise to a network of data transfer with a protocol that is egocentric.

Choosing a link causes the computer to display the connected document in a very short time.

A document can be made statically or dynamically. Therefore, a well-constructed hypertext system can handle, use, or exceed many other user interfaces like menus and command lines, and can be used to access both static and interactive applications.

Documents and applications exist locally or from anywhere with the help of computer networks like the internet. The most famous implementation of hypertext is the World Wide Web, introduced by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Then what is the role of biological creatures called humans? Although humans may no longer exist as biological creatures, but as intelligent entities based on cognition, affect, and conation that are intertwined with psychomotor activities, they may be replaced by super-intelligent entities that can roam the universe in a packet of data that can be transmitted anywhere with analytical capabilities supported by a super engine, becoming quantum ultra sapiens that are empty yet full, and full yet empty.