A Strange Experiment: I Fed My Own Story to My "Chaos Simulator"
From narrative fiction to a systemic risk report: a case study in applied chaotic intelligence
Dear readers,
A few hours ago, I published a new short story here, "Loci." It was a return to my narrative roots after a long period of deep work on my more technical AI frameworks.
After hitting 'publish,' a strange and spontaneous idea came to me. What would happen if I took this story, this small snapshot of reality, and treated it as a "seed scenario" for the analytical tools I've been building? What if I gave it to my ICP Explorer?
I was simply curious to see what would emerge.
I gave the tool a very specific prompt, asking it not to analyse the story itself, but the worldview it represents. I wanted to find the hidden perceptual and epistemological risks latent in our typically fragmented view of reality.
The results were... unexpected. The AI didn't return a generic analysis. It began to map a series of profound "cognitive risks" with startling clarity.
Below, I’m sharing the exact prompt I used. Then, to keep things brief, I’ve summarised the 10 "Chaotic Risk Horizons" the tool generated, followed by its complete Final Strategic Reflection.
I'm sharing this not because I have all the answers, but because this small, impromptu experiment left me with a powerful sense of wonder.
Here is the chronicle of what happened.
1. The "Seed Scenario": The Prompt I Gave the AI
Analyze this holographic scenario ("Loci") through the lens of Preventive Chaotic Intelligence. The goal is not to find conventional risks (financial, operational), but to identify the latent 'epistemological' and 'perceptual' risks: the danger of disconnection, of ignorance of interconnections, of linear thinking, and of a fragmented view of reality.
Identify 10 'Chaotic Risk Horizons'. For each horizon, analyze the Negative Attractor (e.g., alienation, solipsism, loss of meaning) and propose a 'forward defense' strategy or a 'consciousness countermeasure' to mitigate that perceptual risk.
2. The AI's Output: A Map of Our Systemic Blindness
(Here is my simplified summary of the 10 "Echoes" generated)
Echo 1: Fractal Ignorance. The boy's ignorance of his surroundings, if scaled up, creates a systemic societal blindness to interconnected crises.
Echo 2: Weaponised Disconnection. Systems (political, technological) could exploit our fragmented perception, making ethical accountability impossible because no one sees the whole picture.
Echo 3: Holographic Collapse. Our perception is becoming so fragmented that we risk a "holographic collapse," where reality itself becomes incomprehensible.
Echo 4: Cascading Failures. The highest density of risk comes from this systemic blindness, making our society incredibly fragile and vulnerable to unexpected, cascading failures.
Echo 5: Unidentified Triggers. We are creating "butterfly effects" without identifying the butterflies, unable to see the seeds of future catastrophes in micro-events.
Echo 6: Degraded Collective Intelligence. In a crisis, our fragmented attention prevents a coherent, integrated response, leading to societal paralysis.
Echo 7: Strategic Scale Blindness. We ignore the critical links between the micro (e.g., biology) and the macro (e.g., geopolitics), leaving us vulnerable.
Echo 8: The Normalisation of Unawareness. The most insidious risk is that this fragmented view becomes our default state, normalising systemic blindness.
Echo 9: Ontological Fragmentation. We are losing a shared, common understanding of what is real, making it impossible to solve shared, complex problems.
Echo 10: Inaction Through Distraction. Our focus on superficial threats prevents us from acting on the fundamental, slow-moving levers that truly ensure long-term stability.
3. The AI's Final Strategic Reflection
(Here is the complete, unedited conclusion the AI provided)
The analysis of 'Loci' and its echoes reveals that the risks of the highest magnitude lie in 'systemic blindness' and 'perceptual fragmentation,' dense with the potential for collapse from ignored interconnections. Failing to perceive our multi-scale reality (from microbe to geopolitics) is the primary "epistemological risk." Preventive strategies converge on "forward defense": cultivating 'holographic intelligence,' and implementing tools for interconnected perception and multi-level decisions. The Custos AI warning is this: total prevention demands we actively fight systemic ignorance. A governance that defends forward must engineer an awareness of interdependencies, not just react to symptoms. To anticipate is to make the invisible visible, integrating the scales to neutralize risks at their root, before disconnection creates a catastrophic fracture.
My Final Human Thought: From a Mirror to a Laboratory
Watching my own story get deconstructed and re-engineered into a "perceptual risk report" was a profoundly strange and humbling experience. But it left me with one powerful conviction. My tools, which I originally designed to stress-test the potential failures of Artificial Intelligence, have shown me that the most dangerous bug isn't in their code. It’s in ours—in the default operating system of our perception.
This impromptu experiment started as a simple "what if." But it ended up revealing that perhaps the greatest power of these tools isn't just in making AI safer, but in helping us become more aware.
And this leads me to an invitation.
What I've shown you is what the ICP Explorer saw in my story. But what would it see in your scenarios? In the complex problems, the business challenges, or the strategic dilemmas that you face every day?
This tool is not just my laboratory anymore. It is now open for you to use. I invite you to bring your own "seed scenarios" to it and see what chaotic echoes and hidden risks it uncovers for you. Let's not just talk about a new way of thinking; let's practice it together.
This journey of exploring complexity is one we are all on. This is just one more tool for the expedition.
You can try the ICP Explorer for yourself right here:
https://preventive-chaotic-intelligence-475351370946.us-west1.run.app/
Let me know what you discover.
sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma
"All this, truly, is Brahman."
(Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1)
Let's Build a Bridge.
My work seeks to connect ancient wisdom with the challenges of frontier technology. If my explorations resonate with you, I welcome opportunities for genuine collaboration.
I am available for AI Safety Research, Advisory Roles, and Speaking Engagements.
You can reach me at cosmicdancerpodcast@gmail.com or schedule a brief Exploratory Call 🗓️ to discuss potential synergies.