4 ms·

AI is a personal tutor, amd the biggest change in education since the invention of writing. I imagine a day when it is socially unacceptable to hire someone to

AI is a personal tutor, amd the biggest change in education since the invention of writing. I imagine a day when it is socially unacceptable to hire someone to do something for you. You have AI and Amazon, why not learn, order the parts, and do it yourself? Imagine a world where we all work a few hours a week but occupy ourselves learning new skills and applying those skills to improve our environments. This would also keep us ready to be useful at work. I am reminded of a famous quote: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert A. Heinlein

gota 2y ago
I am afraid that AI tutors and teachers will slow down our progress in ethics and moral issues. Model X trained on all our data thinks Y is ok and that permeates lessons here and there. Raising a generation that does not rightfully challenge Y as it should. As a somewhat stupid example: had LLMs been invented in thr 1800's would they teach whatever topic with an underlying sentiment that slavery is a just and natural state? Teachers and tutors have always been an influence in the formative years of younger minds. I am afraid of substituting that human influence bringing intellectual and moral challenges for a one-size-fits-all frozen in time pasteurized worldview. To be clear: LLMs as educational tools; inevitable. LLMs as teachers - no, please Let me know if this is a stupid feeling (and a feeling is all I have) or if it is too much of a Old Man Yells at Cloud thing
- namaria 2y ago
  You make a good point. Something I hadn't been able to put my finger on but which was bothering me on a subliminar level. It is likely that a main LLM will dominate the play field (network effects) and it will breed a thinking monoculture. The more entrenched it becomes, the less resilient society will be, because we will become over reliant on its model weights.

gota 2y ago

I am afraid that AI tutors and teachers will slow down our progress in ethics and moral issues. Model X trained on all our data thinks Y is ok and that permeates lessons here and there. Raising a generation that does not rightfully challenge Y as it should. As a somewhat stupid example: had LLMs been invented in thr 1800's would they teach whatever topic with an underlying sentiment that slavery is a just and natural state? Teachers and tutors have always been an influence in the formative years of younger minds. I am afraid of substituting that human influence bringing intellectual and moral challenges for a one-size-fits-all frozen in time pasteurized worldview. To be clear: LLMs as educational tools; inevitable. LLMs as teachers - no, please Let me know if this is a stupid feeling (and a feeling is all I have) or if it is too much of a Old Man Yells at Cloud thing

namaria 2y ago
You make a good point. Something I hadn't been able to put my finger on but which was bothering me on a subliminar level. It is likely that a main LLM will dominate the play field (network effects) and it will breed a thinking monoculture. The more entrenched it becomes, the less resilient society will be, because we will become over reliant on its model weights.