Artificial intelligence and the price for our learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that has generated a lot of interest and debate in recent months thanks to its most embraced exponent: ChatGPT, an acronym for ‘Generative Pre-training Transformer’. It is a language model developed by OpenAI that is trained to predict the next word in a text sequence given a previous context. GPT is often used as a foundation for natural language systems that need to understand and generate human text. The result does not leave anyone indifferent the interaction with this AI generates as much disturbance as hope for the future.
One of the areas in which the use of AI has been discussed is education since it is expected to have a significant impact on how knowledge is acquired and transmitted to new generations. Some compare this technology that “gives us everything done” with the introduction of calculators, which at the time gave us the result of a complex mathematical operation without knowing the process or its underlying formulas, which is why there are those who fear that AI can damage knowledge, including replacing teachers and creating inequities.
On the other hand, some look with hope at how, thanks to the advancement of this technology, the limits of knowledge will be broken in a short period. That is where the dilemma begins because we will probably go further but at a very high price. There is no doubt that in the hands of qualified, trained, and experienced personnel, these tools hold enormous promise.
However, indeed, a generation that is educated with an AI in their hands will find it very difficult to avoid the temptation of obtaining an immediate result without obtaining prior knowledge. If we eliminate the practice, perseverance, refinement, and mastery of processes, we will cultivate a “now” generation addicted to fast, hyperactive with a tendency to results instead of asking questions. Information has a process and we are eliminating it, and with it, the development and intellectual maturity of future generations.
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Another of the great dangers of tools like ChatGPT is that we don’t know their references and their sources. When we search on Google or other search engines, they provide us with these references and therefore give us the option of selecting which are the most appropriate based on our culture, education, or interests.
However, GPT Chat is different because it provides us with absolute and real answers. That opens a door to the involution of knowledge to manipulation and gives false news greater force. I hope you don’t misunderstand my words. I am a great defender of artificial intelligence, I am convinced that it will be very beneficial for humanity. But I am also a great defender of that humanity of its evolution, its knowledge, and, above all, of critical thinking that makes us so human and generates so much prosperity. That is why I believe that we have to defend the learning processes strongly while we benefit from the new frontiers of AI.
By definition, AI-based tools alter our learning processes and access to information. It is impossible to predict its consequences, but it is possible to glimpse some of them, such as the increase in dependence on these tools, the obtaining of more and better results in a shorter space of time, and that these technologies, at least the basic ones, will be more and more accessible. This conclusion is not an intuition, it is what we have experienced before with other technologies. AI is constantly evolving, I am sure that little by little it will permeate a large part of our day-to-day as other previous technologies did. That is why I always recommend less fear, more curiosity, and a lot of prudence.
