Wendell Berry said something to the effect that a time is coming when people will have to choose whether they want to live as machines or as human beings. When I look around I see a lot of people with their face in a machine.
Ive taught an English for IT class for first year international bachelor’s students for the last ten years, despite not knowing much about IT. I’ve learned a lot from talking with the students. One common theme I am continually confronted with and frustrated by are generic, chatbot-like phrases like, “technology is the future”. What the hell does that even mean? Im told repeatedly that there is an inevitability to it all, like it’s fate, that I recoil at.
Most of the homework they submit is chatbot written, and yes, I agree, it’s mind numbing, send your eyes to the back of your head garbage.
I know teachers that use chat bots to write their lessons, and then their students use them to write their homework. It begs the question as to what are we even doing anymore?
In Ted Kazinsky’s manifesto he writes that the danger isn’t that machines get beyond our control, like terminator. But rather that we will become so reliant on our machines that to turn them off would be suicide. They are, then, effectively in control. With stock trading at 90% automated and self driving tractors and cars, and chat bots to write (or help write) essays, we seem to be in a hostage state at this point. And rather than lean into it, I’d like to break free from the dependence as much as I can. Part of that is a commitment to not using AI for writing, even editing (beyond spellcheck). Whether you listen or not, it’s very good at nudging you in certain directions. It will know how to push your buttons. And a one degree difference on the course to the moon is to end up in another galaxy.
You gave me chills. Valid chills
Wendell Berry said something to the effect that a time is coming when people will have to choose whether they want to live as machines or as human beings. When I look around I see a lot of people with their face in a machine.
Ive taught an English for IT class for first year international bachelor’s students for the last ten years, despite not knowing much about IT. I’ve learned a lot from talking with the students. One common theme I am continually confronted with and frustrated by are generic, chatbot-like phrases like, “technology is the future”. What the hell does that even mean? Im told repeatedly that there is an inevitability to it all, like it’s fate, that I recoil at.
Most of the homework they submit is chatbot written, and yes, I agree, it’s mind numbing, send your eyes to the back of your head garbage.
I know teachers that use chat bots to write their lessons, and then their students use them to write their homework. It begs the question as to what are we even doing anymore?
In Ted Kazinsky’s manifesto he writes that the danger isn’t that machines get beyond our control, like terminator. But rather that we will become so reliant on our machines that to turn them off would be suicide. They are, then, effectively in control. With stock trading at 90% automated and self driving tractors and cars, and chat bots to write (or help write) essays, we seem to be in a hostage state at this point. And rather than lean into it, I’d like to break free from the dependence as much as I can. Part of that is a commitment to not using AI for writing, even editing (beyond spellcheck). Whether you listen or not, it’s very good at nudging you in certain directions. It will know how to push your buttons. And a one degree difference on the course to the moon is to end up in another galaxy.