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Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Learning

Yesterday was my first day of class for my senior year of college. I had four classes, and each one of them mentioned AI within the first fifteen minutes. Today, artificial intelligence tools are not as widely accepted as other technologies, like the iPhone or laptop computer, were back in their day. It is both treated in suspect and highly politicized. 

On November 30, 2022, the "shot heard around the world" was when OpenAI released the first version of ChatGPT to the public. I cannot believe it has been nearly four years. Its offering was simple - to answer any question you asked of it. You could ask "What is the meaning of life?", and Chat would respond, probably referencing Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Or, you could ask it to do your homework for you. And the AI bot would do it. OpenAI created the ultimate cheating machine. Now anyone could have essays written for them, math problems solved for them, research conducted for them, without anymore effort than a few key-presses. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/ChatGPT_hallucination.png
An example of an "AI Hallucination", no such NYT article exists. Example borrowed from Wikipedia.

"Artificial Intelligence" was rightly criticized early-on from teachers and professors alike. Cheating and plagiarism became easy. And Big Tech didn't care. Government didn't care. Old ways of assignments became pointless - why assign a 3-page paper if the student could use ChatGPT? This question was asked by two very different people. On one hand, teachers and professors adapted and moved assignments of that sort to proctored, in-class activities. On the other hand, those in Big Tech asked why not just use AI for everything. 

That background helps you to understand my day yesterday. I had two professors just say "no AI ever" for their class. And two professors that said "use AI responsibly" for their class. All four of them want me to learn and understand the material and pass their class with a good grade. 

So, my next thought is "What will the discussions be 4 years from now?" As unlike the introduction of the typewriter, word processor, or laptop computer, this new technology isn't widely accepted. It is dangerous. It can lie and mislead. People have suffered from "AI Psychosis".

My call to action is just that people educate themselves and don't atrophy their brains. To be human is to search for new knowledge and better oneself. Do not let the machine do the thinking for you, as it may end up thinking you are no longer necessary. Do not go quietly into that good night. 

 

 

Thank you for reading my new blog. For further reading, please check out the following links:

Wikipedia, ChatGPT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT

Wikipedia, AI Psychosis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI-induced_psychosis 

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Location: Wisconsin, USA

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