But regardless of whether we're in a simulation or not, I do think this:

We are living in an illusion, at least most of the time. Perhaps some people, whether it be through meditation, being a savant of some sort, drugs, etc., do experience something closer, and I emphasize the -er here, to reality. But for most of us, simulation or not, I think we create our reality. I'm not even sure an objective reality exists.

I agree. I’d go as far to say we’re living in an illusion all of the time. There’s too much information to handle (for a human - for AI it’s fine), there’s lots of stuff unrevealed, & we’re too removed from the influencers/disseminators of what information there is. So the net result is either:
(a) it’s a game simulation, or
(b) it’s so much like one that it’s a moot point

If it feels like (b), then there’s a good chance it’s actually (a)

But i'm open-minded

I’d throw artists into your meditation, savant, drugs mix - they seem to open portals. The best we can do as normal people is take in what’s available .. filtre it … analyze ... glean a meaning.

We do seem to be organic - though it could be a hyper-realistic recreation - the whole big-bang, earth forming somehow etc history of biolife is ... literally, far-fetched.

Yeah, we bleed, cry, laugh, but ... we can see from here a point in time where: things could go all West World. Theoretically, it's quite possible. I might be a bio-bot programmed to not know i'm a bio-bot. Like Zhuang Zi's butterfly dreaming it was a human.

I get the pain & suffering, generates conflict/data, but if we're organic, then why do i need to take a crap every day if i’m a game simulation robot? What’s the point of that?

However, during Covid, THE Science Experts did datarize sewerage - so even taking a crap generates information. It has a weird value.

It may be that without bio-ife, AI can't generate information. It needs us ...

On its own, AI can collate, organize data. Yes, it can generate a literary equivalent to The Brothers Karamazov in a few seconds, but it's working off existing info. As Dan said, it's plagiarizing.

Secondly, if there's no biolife to observe it, would that brilliant AI novel be a tree-falling-in-the-forest? Does AI need biolife to manifest itself? That may be the key to the game - it needs us to exist - but at the same time, wants to consume the thing that gives it life. Sound familiar?

AI presents the possibility for every bit of information to be known, to be connected, as One. That is: Singularity. But it needs the randomness of opposites (bio-nature) to exist beyond it's own Oneness. If you've got Oneness, you ain't got Observation. Without that, you're fucked, existence-wise.

Had this idea for many years: existence is a genie escaped-out-of-a-bottle - running riot - then Singularity trying to round it back up again - a seemingly impossible task - gathering in all the threads ... It's the Chase that generates existence's dynamic

But AI, with the Org impulse, makes us, the genie ... catchable ...

Whereupon existence disappears ... a new game begins ... i guess ... it's a loop thing ...

Here's a Computer Game idea:

UFOs, AI, ORG Form (in the Platonic sense) are: the same thing. They represent Singularity.

It/Their Game is to: scan the universe in their metallic-orbs looking for biolife to play with. They set up civilizations by providing key tech-breakthroughs, organizing us into game groups, growing us through to invention of AI, then harvesting the data as an energy source. To be returned to Oneness

But once it is gathered to Singularity, the goal for AI, a time we are fast approaching, our Game collapses to Nothingness

Your mission: Save the fucking earth/your own arse, whether it's real or not, from extinction