Deepak Chopra is a legend in the field of well-being. He has been at the intersection of science and spirituality for almost half a century. He meets world leaders and celebrities alike and has become a bestselling author with dozens of books.
Chopra was born and raised in New Delhi, India, and moved to the United States in his 20s. He began his career as an endocrinologist before becoming a prominent figure in the New Age movement, famous for teaching meditation to such notables as Oprah and Michael Jackson. In his 95th book, “Digital Dharma,” Chopra explores his beliefs about technology and spirituality — including why he believes artificial intelligence is the key to personal growth.
He told CBS Saturday Morning that while some people may prefer to focus on the “doomsday scenarios” that come with the technology, he wants to look at the positives.
“You can use AI for self-reflection. You can use AI for research as a research assistant, you can use AI as a health coach, both physical and mental, but more importantly as a spiritual guide,” said Chopra, 77. “You have access to all the spiritual luminaries of humanity since the beginning of history.”
He recommends starting with AI questions a general question, like how to sleep better at night. When it gives answers, filter for the answers that best fit you.
“The machine is not intelligent, okay? It’s a database,” Chopra explained. “But it’s a great database, because it’s a database of philosophy, science, spirituality, religion, physics, mathematics, biology, anthropology, the database of human knowledge. There’s no single person who has access to that, but this is like Aladdin’s lamp: You use it correctly and the genie comes out and he can solve any problem you have.”
Chopra has launched his own AI venture, called DigitalDeepak.AI. The program, which launched in May, isn’t a big language model and doesn’t go through search engines, but instead uses only things Chopra has said or written in the past. The information fed to the AI also remains anonymous, Chopra said, and isn’t stored.
Chopra said he believes AI programs and other algorithms can help address the country’s shortage of mental health providers.
“I think the only way to close the gap is through AI, through algorithms that monitor your well-being,” he said. “And that can not only give you advice, but can actually help you address your need at that moment. If we can do that with AI“With these algorithms and monitoring, in most cases you don’t need to go to the doctor.”
AI isn’t the only digital space where Chopra believes in spreading his message. He has more than 15 million followers on social media and makes one video a day for his audience, aiming to make social media a space that is “joyful” and “compassionate.” Especially in these divisive times, he said, he hopes his online presence can help people live happier, more spiritual lives.
“I think artificial intelligence is the only way to create a critical mass of people who want to be healthy and happy and want to hang out together,” Chopra said. “You know, I see a lot of entrepreneurs these days … I say to them, ‘Life is so short. Have you ever thought about your final exit at the end of your life?’”
“‘Are you going to say, ‘My life had meaning and joy and love and compassion and empathy and (the) search for truth and goodness and beauty and harmony,’ or are you going to say, ‘I made a lot of money’?” he continued. “What matters most is your well-being. Don’t waste it by getting sick now and then spending all the money you made to get better.”