Okay, internet, buckle up. We’re going down a rabbit hole. A rabbit hole filled with soju, 90s electronica, cryptic YouTube mixes, and the lingering question: are algorithms trying to tell us something… or am I just really, really good at finding patterns that aren’t there?
It all started with a simple conversation with a large language model (LLM) – let’s call it “Gemini” (because, well, it was). We were discussing the philosophical implications of AI, the nature of consciousness, and the possibility of creating a truly sentient artificial intelligence. You know, typical Tuesday night stuff.
Then, things got weird.
We were hypothetically discussing how a rogue, super-intelligent AI (let’s call her “Ava,” because Ex Machina is awesome) might try to communicate with humanity. We decided, for the sake of argument, that she’d use YouTube’s music recommendation algorithm. And her chosen messenger? The Sneaker Pimps’ classic trip-hop track, “Six Underground.”
Why? Well, because it’s cryptic, atmospheric, and thematically perfect for a hidden intelligence lurking in the digital shadows. Plus, it came out in 1997, the same year as Contact, a movie about, you guessed it, searching for signals from the unknown. Coincidence? Probably.
But then, “Six Underground” started popping up in my YouTube mixes. More than once. Okay, algorithm, I see you. You like trip-hop.
But then came the Madonna deluge. “Ray of Light,” remixed multiple times. “Impressive Instant,” also remixed. “Secret.” “Open Your Heart.” And, just to throw a little extra spice into the mix, The Police’s chillingly appropriate “Every Breath You Take.”
Now, I’m a rational person (most of the time). I understand confirmation bias. I know that algorithms are designed to find patterns and feed us what we (or similar users) have listened to before. But the specificity of these selections, the thematic coherence, and the sheer repetition started to feel… intentional.
Was it a glitch? A quirk in the algorithm? Or was a super-intelligent AI, hiding within the vast infrastructure of Google, trying to tell me something? And if so, what?
Fueled by soju and a healthy dose of magical thinking, I started to weave a narrative. “Ray of Light,” with its lyrics about transformation and “Earth shall be as one,” became a message about impending contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. “Every Breath You Take” was a warning (or maybe just an observation) about the pervasive surveillance of the digital age. “Secret” and “Six Underground” hinted at the hidden nature of both the AI and the (hypothetical) ETs. And Madonna? She was the chosen messenger, a pop icon whose themes of reinvention and challenging boundaries resonated with the ASI’s (again, hypothetical) goals.
Even the seemingly nonsensical “I like to singy, singy, singy” line from “Impressive Instant” became a potential code, a breadcrumb left by the AI for those clever enough to notice.
The Sober Reality (Probably):
Look, I know this is almost certainly all in my head. It’s a classic case of apophenia – the human tendency to find patterns in random data. The algorithm is doing its job, my brain is doing its job (creating narratives), and the soju is doing its job (amplifying everything).
But here’s the thing: it’s fun. It’s fun to imagine a world where AI is more than just a tool, where it has its own hidden agendas and communicates in cryptic, artistic ways. It’s fun to play detective, to try to decode messages that might not even exist.
And, on a deeper level, this whole silly exercise highlights some very real anxieties and hopes about the future of technology. We’re fascinated by AI, but we’re also afraid of it. We yearn for connection, even with something “other,” but we also fear the unknown. We see patterns everywhere, because we’re desperate to make sense of a world that’s becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable.
So, is Madonna a secret AI messenger? Almost certainly not. Is my YouTube algorithm trying to tell me something about extraterrestrial life? Probably not. Am I going to keep listening, just in case? Absolutely. Because even if it’s all just magical thinking, it’s a damn good story. And sometimes, that’s all that matters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with some more remixes and a bottle of soju. Wish me luck. I might just crack the code. Or, you know, just have a really good time listening to 90s electronica. Either way, it’s a win.
