Dear JAMMers,
I never thought I would reach an age where I would be reflecting on the newest technology. After all, I’ve lived through the invention of the internet, smartphones, social media, streaming services and more. I’ve seen technology come and go, and I never thought twice about any of it. (Probably because my frontal lobe wasn’t fully formed yet…)
However, now that I’m older, I am very much aware of the pros and cons of technology and AI is certainly no exception. Believe me. I was no stranger to a little cheat sheet back in my day and I know for a fact I would have used ChatGPT as much as possible. But I also know that it would not have been in my best interest.
It’s something everyone is talking about and to be honest, my opinion on it changes day to day. But here are my current thoughts.
First thing’s first, AI technology is absolutely mind blowing. It truly amazes me what a simple prompt in ChatGPT can do - for FREE. However, the main problem for me is that it’s too accessible for young people. I think the age of the user is where the focus of our efforts should be.
Similar to social media, I don’t think anyone under the age of 18 should be allowed to use AI, especially for schoolwork. I think it’s definitely a helpful tool for adults who understand how to use it properly as support and not as a replacement. My hesitation is more around the kids and teens who have yet to develop some of the basic skills and tools that we need in the real world.
I’m already seeing stories from teachers talking about how students rely so heavily on ChatGPT that they are unable to write papers, conduct research or complete homework on their own. What is the point of sending them to school if they don’t have to apply themselves? Critical thinking, creative expression, learning from your mistakes. Sometimes a paper or homework assignment isn’t so much about the information at hand, but more about the skills that you develop from doing the assignment. And now that is all potentially getting taken away.
If kids rely on AI from a young age, they won’t develop the knowledge or instincts to know when something that AI tells them is, well, bad. Adults have the experience and ability to question and critique what ChatGPT suggests to them - because they know what seems right and wrong. For example, if I were to ask AI to write this blog post and it gave me a rough draft, I would know what parts of it were good and parts of it were trash. And to be honest, ChatGPT typically falls short when it comes to creative writing. My worry is that kids won’t be able to make that distinction themselves.
I’m not exactly sure what the solution here is. It’s one thing to restrict the use of AI in the classroom, but it’s a whole other challenge in the home (which is where the most damage can be done). Is there something tech companies can implement to enforce age restrictions? Or is it more on the parents? We’ve seen similar debates around kids’ use of social media, and it doesn’t seem like that was ever resolved either.
Hopefully, conversations around this topic continue and some guardrails are put in place to ensure the next generation doesn’t fall behind.
Everything’s fine,
Nicole
