Artificial intelligence, also known as A.I., has been used as a villain in major films like The Matrix, released in 1999, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, released in 1968. While these movies are seen as fictional, the threat of A.I. has been a topic of debate for a while, with many pointing out both ethical and social consequences that A.I. can bring. However, the threat of A.I. might be hiding right under our noses.
The education system in the United States has a formula that many of the subjects taught in school follows to a T. Students come to class, discuss and learn what’s taught, and go home to do homework in preparation for tests that assess what was learned. So, what happens when one of these steps is at risk of being eliminated?
Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, shortened to ChatGPT, is a bot developed by a research company called OpenAI. The bot creates generated text based on machine learning and, like humans, surfs the web for information and computes a response that looks eerily similar to what a person would write. Not only that, but each text generated is unique by the A.I. The more someone provides responses and feedback to the bot, the stronger and smarter the response is.
Now, what this means for educators and teachers is that assignments and essays that they assign from home can be generated by a bot in seconds and can be made to be both undetectable and unique. For instance, if a teacher were to ask students to write a summary on the book, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, students could simply input the question into the bot and get a response like this:
Artificial Intelligence, seen as a problem for the future, is now a problem for the present. Students, applicants, writers, and employees can now generate their work to be done for them in seconds, thus eliminating the effort and time it takes to do those things.
So, why not use it to your advantage?
A.I. eliminates the “badly paid and boring” issue for menial labor. And while some fear the loss of jobs, studies show that it could be the opposite.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Any job losses from automation are likely to be broadly offset in the long run by new jobs created as a result of the larger and wealthier economy made possible by these new technologies.” The less people are tied to wages and jobs that pay them extremely low and work them for grueling hours, the more time they’ll have for recreational activities and can focus on education and school.
Though the classroom might experience a temporary shift as teachers learn to adapt to A.I., the goal should be to adapt quickly and use this technology to our benefit. Once we do that, we can work more efficiently as a society and focus on what really matters, society itself. Students, colleges, and educators are the backbone of such a society, and A.I. could be the milk that strengthens the calcium in those bones.
The labor landscape in the United States seems like a battlefield for many, but if Artificial Intelligence is used correctly, an end to this war could be in sight.
Will Martinez
Staff writer