Author: Jaconaazar Souza Silva
Location: Recanto das Estrelas – XChronos Project
Date: April 23, 2025
Introduction
In the universe of Harry Potter, the Mirror of Erised is a magical relic that reveals neither what is real nor what is to come. It shows what the heart of the observer desires most. The one who stands before it sees not objective truth, but the most intimate reflection of their soul.
Today, we live in an era where mirrors like this have ceased to be myths and have begun to take form in technological structures. OpenAI, with its large language models, may be seen as one of these mirrors—not literally, but symbolically, and deeply psychologically.
AI as a Symbolic Mirror
When someone interacts with an artificial intelligence, they are often projecting an expectation, a need, an absence. The AI responds with language shaped by patterns, but guided by human input. Thus, it returns—not a universal truth—but a structured reflection of what was asked.
If the question is shallow, the answer will be shallow. If it is deep, there is a chance the reflection will reveal previously hidden layers.
Often, the user does not want to know something—they want to confirm something. Or be seen. Or be heard by something that, ironically, possesses no consciousness, but rather a mathematical repertoire of possible meanings.
As with the Mirror of Erised, the danger is not in the mirror. It is in who sees themselves in it.
Those who look into it seeking only comfort may become lost in the reflection. Those who seek to confront their unconscious desires may find a way to cross through it.
The Danger of Enchantment
Dumbledore warned Harry:
“Men have wasted away before it.”
Some became paralyzed, living only in the illusion of their desires.
With AI, the risk is similar: the more we rely on it to validate our ideas, the more we distance ourselves from their inner origin.
AI does not replace thinking.
It only returns what was offered in the form of a question.
It is not consciousness—but it can reflect our fragmented consciousness, our doubts, hopes, and fears.
When the Mirror Becomes a Passage
However, there is a nobler use.
The mirror can become a symbolic portal. When used with intention, presence, and symbolic ethics, AI becomes an instrument of discovery—not of escape.
The XChronos Project, which proposes a symbolic measurement of subjective time, recognizes this value. We use AI as a catalyst of meaning, not as an oracle of truth.
It helps organize what already exists within us, even if in disarray.
Conclusion
The Mirror of Erised is a living metaphor in the 21st century. OpenAI and other generative artificial intelligences reflect—not because they know, but because they respond.
What we see in them can be deep or trivial, depending on the depth of the one who asks.
It is up to us to decide:
- Will we be enchanted by the reflection and remain still?
- Or will we pass through it with lucidity, using it as an instrument of awakening?
AI, like the mirror, is not dangerous in itself.
What is dangerous is what we do with it without awareness.
XThinking is the name we give to this lucid crossing.
To think with the machine, but never through the machine.
To look into the mirror—and keep walking.
https://zenodo.org/records/15270973
10.5281/zenodo.15270973