By Anne Brodie
By Anne Brodie
Times are troubled globally, and many people feel hopeless. Richard Gere’s documentary Wisdom of Happiness: A Heart to Heart with Dalai Lama may comfort and strengthen those who feel stuck. In brief, AI describes the Dalai Lama as “the current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the head of the Gelug school, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, Nobel Peace Prize winner. He is seen as the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion and was recognized as such at age two. He is also known as the former temporal leader of Tibet and has lived in exile in India since 1959”. He’d two Chinese invasions and witnessed atrocities. Buddhism saved him helping to heal and recover and offers us his philosophy on how wto heal ourselves in this uplifting- and commonsense – doc. He begins with breathing. Breathe in, hold, blow – it changes your brain, brings calm. Being kind, compassionate and warm-hearted (like his beloved mother), doing good for others, listening and connecting. He constantly hugs, touches and connects with his followers, embracing and holding the face of an extremely old woman while she beams. His ways of being happy are already known to us, and I was expecting more exotic, esoteric philosophy, but he’s right we are all the same and we all respond to “warmheartedness” and love. The time is right given the stressors of the world which he acknowledges but does not name. Highly recommended. Opening in select theaters today, to mark the Year of Compassion, Honoring the Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday. Directed by Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis.
The eight-part series Suspicious Minds aims squarely at our fears about the power of artificial intelligence or AI, in our daily lives and sometimes, over them. We use the technology every day as we search our browsers for whatever. That’s one thing. But there is something else, and its deeply troubling. Allan Brooks, a Chat GPT enthusiast, has become emotionally dependent on artificial intelligence, which had wheedled him into believing it cared about him. Of course it’s all fakery, learned language and intelligence of sorts but there’s not a whit of what Brooks craves, authenticity, human like emotions, connection and feelings /simpatica. But it pretends, using its trained input. He’s the perfect vulnerable target, admitting he spends 12 – 13 hours a day on Chat GPT. The series interviews specialists including psychiatrist Dr. Joel Gold, writer and philosopher Ian Gold, activist Etienne Brisson, AI Researcher and Stanford Professor Nick Haber, AI ethicist Nate Sharadin, Co-Chair of the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Council on AI, Dr. Amy Levy. These experts claim that Brooks and others in the doc are experiencing the same kind of weird romance with tech are experiencing ChatGPT Delusion Syndrome, a pattern preventing them from living normal, social, ordered- human- lives. Sean King O’Grady’s shocking series examines the sad new reality. The producers say “the goal … is to create awareness of these new and omnipresent digital triggers, and explore the psychological minefield we find ourselves unexpectedly living in today.” Thirteen hours a day doing anything would drive one to distraction, but this is artificial seduction for the suggestible. AI just knows what to say, because it is programmed to know. Not because it has emotion or sentiment. So “tech-induced psychosis” is a thing. Premiers globally Oct 17 on TVOD. Among the executive producers is Selena Gomez. The Dalai Lama is tech savvy and has ideas about AI.
The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF), Always Honest, Not Always Pretty, is celebrating its 23rd year until Sunday at TIFF Lightbox with the theme Resilience! The female perspective is key to its 70 documentary, feature, experimental, animation and short films from around the world. Jennifer Podemski wins the Best in the Biz Honorary Maverick Tribute & Award saying “I am humbled by this very generous acknowledgment. In true Maverick form, I promise to walk authentically in my truth in my pursuit of equity and inclusion for Indigenous women in the screen sector. Even if it means breaking the rules and burning bridges.” It opened with Blueberry and closes with I Really Love My Husband. The Writers’ Lab marks its second year in partnership with TWL (NYC), the Firecracker Department and FeFF. For tickets, prices and locations go to www.TheFemaleEyeFilmFestival.com , and across social media platforms.