Ed chat
Arnold Kling reports that Khan Academy is now working on integrating Chat GPT into teaching. I have to say, it looks quite promising. Sal Khan himself does the video demo:
Education would seem to be a good place to use the artificial intelligence software.
Here’s my chat with Chat GPT to illustrate:
MG: Explain the theory of evolution in 100 words or less at the level of a teenager
GPT: The theory of evolution is the idea that all living things have changed over time. It happens because of natural selection, which is when organisms with traits that are helpful for survival and reproduction are more likely to pass those traits on to their offspring. Over many generations, these small changes can add up and lead to the development of new species. Evolution is supported by many lines of evidence, such as the fossil record, genetic similarities between different species, and observations of natural selection happening today.
MG: Do the same at the level of a nine-year-old.
GPT: Evolution is how animals and plants change over time. You know how your parents might have traits, like curly hair or blue eyes, and you might have those traits too? Well, this happens with animals and plants too, but over many, many generations. Some traits help animals and plants survive better, like camouflage or being really fast, so they're more likely to have babies and pass on those traits. Over time, this can make new animals and plants that are different from their ancestors. Scientists have found bones and fossils of animals that used to live a long time ago, and they help us learn more about how evolution happens.
Explanations aren’t the same as teaching, of course. But the AI chatbot is not only interactive, but capable of selecting language that is aimed to the recipient’s level of comprehension. The Khan Academy chatbot does a good job of interacting, too: asking sensible questions and responding appropriately to input, including emojis.
Figuring out how to ask this AI what to do is itself a complex task to learn in order to get the most out of it. The AI is a powerful tool for helping humans accomplish things. At least, this seems the most useful model for understanding the technology.
Not to mention, it is very early days yet. It’s akin to the internet in 1995: the earliest days of the ballyhooed “World Wide Web” before anyone really had an inkling of what it would mean, how the technology would revolutionize our world. The AI will come to look even more competent, even more life-like in the future.
My guess is that the AI chatbots will become integrated into our smartphones, smart companions that we will perceive as personal friends—friends who get a bit dummer in areas with weak cell service, and who fade entirely when their batteries die. And a new generation will grow up without knowing a world before AI bots were ubiquitous.
Agree with all of these. Between the intellectual curiosity of tech geeks and the opportunities for huge financial payoff for them and many others, I think the pace of new tech will only increase and as you say we can't keep up. In the case of tech products and kids, it's too easy to put the burden of managing it on parents. If you haven't already done so, I recommend reading Jonathan Haidt's recent writing on the effects of social media on teens. It's pretty frightening.
Kim update. She is home and resting, though with some pain and likely a few uncomfortable days yet ahead. I suppose some ChatBot could have offered kind thoughts to me on Friday, as I waited out her surgery, but I think this group is better than any ChatBot would be. To all who commented, I say thank you for keeping me company and for your kind wishes.