The secret to rebooting your brain

AI in Action

Patricia McAlernon

The Innovation Conference hosted by Cavan Connects in the Cavan Townhall last week introduced participants to ‘Neural Nexus’, a program of workshops to include; AI in Action, Digital Reboot and AI in Business.

I facilitated the ‘AI in Action’ session with an audience of young and older adults in which I recalled on aspects of this column over the last year.

My son, Daniel, also participated in the wokshop by describing how he uses AI in his college assignments for a degree in Business and Law. He explained how he used AI to construct headlines to help him structure his essays. He highlighted TU Dublin’s requirement for all students submitting assignments to select a level of AI which they had used. When asked about how he envisaged the future use of AI in law he recalled times when ChatGPT had made up details of court cases when the model couldn’t find these in their data library.

Reboot

The ‘Digital Reboot’ workshop was presented by Manish Tomar who had obtained a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cologne, Germany. He has delivered workshops globally, translating complex neuroscience and trauma research into insights into daily life. He explained how different parts of the human brain functioned during scrolling on our phones and engaging with AI technology. Manish introduced a concept referred to as the ‘window of tolerance’, a model developed by Dr Dan Siegel. Three states of brain arousal have been identified; hyperarousal (Fight or Flight), optimal arousal (Activation and Setting) and Hypoarousal (Freeze or Shut Down).

Scrolling on a phone could lead to a state of hyperarousal which could include feelings of anxiety, nervousness, agitation. Overuse of a phone, or using it when bored, can cause a decreased appetite, insomnia, shallow breathing, poor concentration, rapid heartbeat, chest pain and mind racing. Mobile phone stimulation including AI technology can induce a highly energised or excitable state leading to panic attacks, outbursts of anger and unrealistic thoughts.

When a human brain exists in the optimal zone of arousal the person is able to control their emotions and behave rationally.

Brain Hypoarousal

During the workshop, the word ‘fried’ was used to describe brain hypoarousal. This brain state occurs when a person spends long periods of time on their mobile phone, scrolling or using AI technology. The brain goes into ‘shutdown’ and the person feels like their brain can no longer take in any more information and they are unable to function normally.

Endless scrolling on a mobile phone or using AI may feel like it is relieving your stress by passing time or believing it will help you go back to sleep. The truth is it is putting you in a state of hyperarousal and can be detrimental to your overall mental health.

The ‘Digital Reboot’ workshop ended with a session of body movement. The participants grounded themselves for six minutes by listening to music, gentle stretching and focusing on an image which each person felt made them feel happy. Manish felt the energy in the room had shifted to a more energetic and positive level.

So, the next time you are bored or wake up in the middle of the night, instead of phone scrolling and using AI technology perform a ‘digital reboot’. Try some physical exercise, walk in nature, gardening, spend time with family and friends or read a book. All these non-digital activities will help ground you and ‘reboot’ mentally.

The final workshop of the day was ‘AI in Business.’ It was facilitated by representatives from Drumlins Analytics, a company based in Cavan. They gave a presentation on forex trading and how AI can be used to improve profitability. Perhaps the ‘digital reboot’ or grounding session should have been carried out at the end of this digital workshop.

The three workshops came under the category referred to as ‘Neural Nexus’ which is how the intersection of artificial and biological systems is commonly described. Artificial Intelligence is made up of artificial neural networks whereas human intelligence is built on biological neural pathways. How artificial and human intelligence work together is important for the progress of society and humankind.