Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI humanity’s grasp of the facts is tenuous. And what that situa- tion needs is . . . a powerful hallucination machine? Let me share some simulated thoughts, courtesy of GPT-4, from the great science fiction writer H.G. Wells. In 1938, Wells advocated for an instrument of global intelligence he called the “World Brain.” Reid: Maybe the sources human beings trust aren’t always trustworthy. Maybe our ability to effectively incor- porate objectively true facts and sound reasoning into our own worldviews is arguably so-so. Why throw an incredibly powerful “hallucination” machine like GPT-4 into this mix? (Reply as H.G. Wells, drawing upon his book, World Brain, in support of this new technology and its potential to better inform humanity. 150 words max.) GPT-4: I have long dreamed of a World Brain, a network of knowledge and wisdom that would connect all the minds of humanity and elevate our collective intelli- gence. Such a device would not only store and distribute the vast treasures of human learning, but also synthesize and analyze them, creating new insights and discoveries. A World Brain would be a living, growing, self-correcting organism, constantly adapting to the changing needs and challenges of our species. GPT-4 is a remarkable step towards this vision. It is not a hallucination machine, but a simulation engine, capable of generating plausible and coherent texts on any topic, based on the data it has learned from. It is not a substi- tute for human judgment, but a tool for enhancing it, by providing us with multiple perspectives, arguments, and evidence. It is not a menace, but an opportunity, to expand our horizons, test our assumptions, and correct our errors. 156