If I only knew then, what I know now…” It is a lament the young do not understand, for they do not know that they do not know. But as time passes — sometimes in days, sometimes in years — many people have wanted to go back and counsel, scold and guide themselves to better decisions. Some may wish to go back only a day, and caution their past selves against that fifth drink, or the late-night binge eating.
For others, regrets can span years and even a lifetime. It may be that, after slaving away at a job for decades, someone may want to go back and quit, when time and opportunity allowed them to. Now, AI is trying to allow people to talk to younger versions of themselves.
According to a report in The Guardian, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have built an AI-powered chatbot that simulates a user’s older self and dishes out advice. The profile picture is aged — wrinkles, grey hair and perhaps a bit of wisdom in the eyes — to make the faux time travel feel more authentic.
It gives career advice, tells people to cherish their parents, and shares any number of other pearls of wisdom. If the advice sounds a little corny, users have only themselves to blame — the chatbot is based on their behaviour and inputs. Unfortunately, though, it’s unlikely to alter the course of lives.
The problem with the “I wish I’d known then what I know now” aspiration is, as Terry Pratchett pointed out, “when you got older you found out that you wasn’t you then. You then was a twerp.” It takes a life filled with regrets and what-ifs to gain the wisdom to give advice. Ignoring the advice of elders is what being young is often about. A chatbot won’t change that. If kids were so keen on perspective, they would just listen to their parents.
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Perhaps (adverb) – maybe, for all I know, for all you know
शायद
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Alter (verb) – change, make changes to, make different, make alterations to बदलना
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Often (adverb) – frequently, in many instances, repeatedly, again and again
अक्सर
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Decade (noun) – A period of ten years.
दशक
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Lament (noun) – A cry of sorrow and grief
विलाप
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Scold (verb) – Reprimand, Reproach, Rebuke, Admonish, Caution
डाँटना
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Counsel (noun) – advice, guidance, guidelines, attorney
सलाह
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Keen (adjective) – eager, acute, enthusiastic, penetrating
उत्सुक
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Perspective (noun) – Viewpoint, standpoint, outlook, view, perception, angle
दृष्टिकोण
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Aspiration (noun) – ambition, desire, hope, goal, dream
आकांक्षा
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Unlikely (adjective) – Improbable, doubtful, implausible, dubious, questionable
असंभावित
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Wisdom (noun) – Knowledge, insight, understanding, enlightenment, prudence,
बुद्धिमत्ता
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Point out (phrasal verb) – Indicate, Highlight, Mention, Note, Specify
इंगित करना
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Sound (verb) – Seem, Appear, Resonate, Echo, Reverberate
लगना
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One’s old self (phrase) – The person one used to be, earlier version of oneself, former self, past self
अपने पुराने रूप
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Selves (noun) – Plural of self, individual identities, versions of oneself, personal identities
स्वयं
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Binge eating (noun) – Overeating, gluttony, excessive eating, compulsive eating, overeating spree
अधिक भोजन करना
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Span (verb) – Extend over, cover, bridge, stretch across, encompass
फैलाना
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Slave away (phrasal verb) – Work hard, toil, labor, grind, work tirelessly
कठोर परिश्रम करना
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Simulate (verb) – Imitate, replicate, mimic, model, reproduce
अनुकरण करना
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Dish out (phrasal verb) – Distribute, give out, dispense, serve, hand out
बाँटना
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Wrinkle (noun) – Crease, line, fold, crinkle, furrow
झुर्रियाँ
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Faux (adjective) – Fake, false, imitation, artificial, synthetic
नकली
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Cherish (verb) – Treasure, value, appreciate, hold dear, care for
संजोना
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Corny (noun) – Cliché, overly sentimental, trite, banal, hackneyed
सुनने में अजीब
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Course (noun) – Direction, path, route, trajectory, way
दिशा
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Twerp (noun) – Fool, idiot, simpleton, dolt, nitwit
मूर्ख
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Regret (noun) – Remorse, sorrow, repentance, lament, dissatisfaction
पछतावा