The rise of AI is often compared to calculators. People feared we’d stop thinking then too. But calculators don’t hallucinate and they don't need prompt engineering. Time to revisit the analogy!
Just a quick thought, even when using a calculator, you’re constantly thinking, “does this answer make sense? Did I miss a decimal? Did I multiply instead of divide?“ just like you so eloquently explained in this article, human oversight and reflection are still necessary.
I think that's a perfect example of how supposedly "higher-order" thinking skills aren't affected by offloading arithmetic, but are at risk when we offload wider language use (including reasoning, structure and idea authorship). With LLMs, learners don't naturally activate their brain's error-detection mechanisms, including attention to detail. For LLMs to help us learn, we should use them with intent to create meaningful effort.
I really appreciate level headed discussions about AI use, I’ve been writing about it also. I don’t know if you have ever heard Amy Kurzweil (yes, Ray’s daughter) on TED or her interview on the Amusing Jews podcast #101 but her recommendations have to do with using AI as a creative assistant, that you should be in dialog with them and skeptical of what they produce. They are bullshit generating machines after all. I’ve been thinking about LLMs as assistive technology like my hearing aids, but even this analogy breaks down because the hearing aids have a clearly limited function whereas LLMs aren’t limited in this way. I look forward to more of your thoughts.
Great post!
Just a quick thought, even when using a calculator, you’re constantly thinking, “does this answer make sense? Did I miss a decimal? Did I multiply instead of divide?“ just like you so eloquently explained in this article, human oversight and reflection are still necessary.
I think that's a perfect example of how supposedly "higher-order" thinking skills aren't affected by offloading arithmetic, but are at risk when we offload wider language use (including reasoning, structure and idea authorship). With LLMs, learners don't naturally activate their brain's error-detection mechanisms, including attention to detail. For LLMs to help us learn, we should use them with intent to create meaningful effort.
I really appreciate level headed discussions about AI use, I’ve been writing about it also. I don’t know if you have ever heard Amy Kurzweil (yes, Ray’s daughter) on TED or her interview on the Amusing Jews podcast #101 but her recommendations have to do with using AI as a creative assistant, that you should be in dialog with them and skeptical of what they produce. They are bullshit generating machines after all. I’ve been thinking about LLMs as assistive technology like my hearing aids, but even this analogy breaks down because the hearing aids have a clearly limited function whereas LLMs aren’t limited in this way. I look forward to more of your thoughts.