This Post May or May Not Be AI…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a double-edged sword, harboring both immense promise and perilous risks. On one hand, AI revolutionizes industries, enhancing efficiency and solving complex problems. However, its unchecked proliferation raises grave concerns.
One peril lies in job displacement, as AI automation threatens livelihoods across sectors. Moreover, AI bias and discrimination are rampant, perpetuating societal inequalities. Privacy erosion is another looming peril, as AI systems amass vast troves of personal data.
As AI evolves, ethical, regulatory, and security frameworks must evolve in tandem to mitigate these dangers and ensure AI serves humanity’s best interests.
SURPRISE! The last three paragraphs were generated by ChatGPT concerning the problems with programs like ChatGPT. I typed in “Problems with AI in 100 words” and I had four paragraphs written in 3 seconds. (I deleted one)
3 seconds.
This was the first time I’ve ever used it and honestly…. I can see the draw and the benefit. It saved me time and gave me some good information. It can take me a while to unload and organize my thoughts when I’m writing. Later, I asked ChatGPT some questions about things I’ve researched extensively and…. it was fairly accurate.
I assumed it just gives information without any kind of personality, until I asked it to tell me about the same subject with humor and it blew my mind a little. It read like Melissa McCarthy. AI could be incredibly helpful in several ways in all fields, especially to point someone in certain directions for further research. I also see how educators, writers, and content creators are threatened by it.
Not me, I’m sold, I’ll never write another paper again. This will save me thousands of hours. Enjoy the rest of my ChatGPT blogs!
In all seriousness, I’ve not only paid little attention to AI, but I’ve had a bit of an aversion to it. Mainly, because I love the process of learning, reflecting, and wrestling with material until I feel I’m grasping an idea or subject. AI has the potential to forfeit that process of genuine understanding, which is part of what this week’s media content covered.
In a world where computer software programs can write our papers, what type of new standards or educational protocols will need to be implemented to ensure students are adequality understanding their respective fields of expertise? As one of our AI content videos mentioned, oral exams may have to increase to ensure learning outcomes have been reached.
However, it is highly unlikely that AI is going away. I view it like the internet. We might as well embrace the fact that a new technology is emerging in our world and is here to stay. We can fight against it or find ways to best utilize it as a valuable resource while also navigating its economic, moral, and educational impact on society.
One benefit of AI may be that educational systems will be forced to rethink the learning processes to ensure students are grasping the material, not just submitting AI generated papers, which may ultimately encourage students to think deeper and more comprehensibly about subjects. On the other hand, as Dr. McKnight explains, higher education will inevitably need to find ways on how to best incorporate AI into learning for cognitive offloading and greater effectiveness. [1]
Speaking of which, the National Library of Medicine wrote an article discussing the capabilities and future of AI to scan patient records, medical history, symptoms, and test results to diagnose and even treat illnesses in patients. This type of in-depth analysis, in that amount of time, is not feasible for human brains. AI can analyze large quantities of data and catch patterns quicker than we are able to now. [2]
Circling back to ensuring students are understanding the material and loving the process of learning, the authors in the book Gamestorming make a good point about the goal of games. Getting to the finish line is not the point of most games, playing is the point. [3] Enjoying the strategizing and discovery along with other people in this suspended space is the goal. I feel the same way about education. Although I want a diploma, and like the idea of having a few more letters behind my name for extra street cred, that is not the goal. The process of reading, learning, writing, and discussing with others is shaping something in me that ChatGPT generated papers or OpenAI essays can’t do. There are no short cuts in developing ourselves, our minds, or our being.
As for other dangers and limitations of AI, it is like the internet in its reliability, if not worse at some points. Michael Webb mentioned that AI has been shown to generate information that is incorrect. [4] To compound the issue, the sources listed to support information given can also be fabricated. [5]
With every new discovery, revelation, or major shift in history there is always a period of social and moral chaos. Television, cloning, Darwinism, the internet, life support machines, guns, birth control, and now AI. Our faith tradition records how new things bring chaos in the book of Acts when large amounts of non-Jews were embracing a Jewish faith. Meetings were had and questions were raised. What Jewish laws should these non-Jews keep? Circumcision? Eating food offered to idols? What standards should they be held to? What ultimately matters to God? What do our Scriptures say?
Although there was a period of making new standards and laws for Gentiles, Paul eventually lands on infusing the Spirit of Christ into everything we do, “…against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) and the details work themselves out eventually in communities willing to discuss issues prayfully and openly. I believe this advice is essential for Christ followers who are navigating the ethics and impact of AI technology. Personally, I believe a Spirit led; well informed approach allows people of faith, not fear, to navigate anything the 21st century throws at us (including aliens, but that’s another blog!)
[1] 1. “Eight Ways to Engage with AI Writers in Higher Education,” THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect, October 14, 2022, https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/eight-ways-engage-ai-writers-higher-education.
[2] 1. Mugahed A Al-Antari, “Artificial Intelligence for Medical Diagnostics-Existing and Future AI Technology!,” Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), February 12, 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9955430/.
[3] Gray, Dave, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. Beijing Boston Farnham Sebastopol Tokyo: O’Reilly, 2010.
[4] Google Drive. Google. Accessed September 7, 2023. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eMgz1LWSXLOeFrPcAMDf0z5KEwFVhAs7.
[5] 1. Google Drive (Google), accessed September 7, 2023, https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eMgz1LWSXLOeFrPcAMDf0z5KEwFVhAs7.
About the Author
Adam Harris
I am currently the Associate Pastor at a church called Godwhy in Hendersonville, TN near Nashville. We love questions and love people even more. Our faith community embraces God and education wholeheartedly. I graduated from Oral Roberts University for undergrad and Vanderbilt for my masters. I teach historical critical Biblical studies at my church to help our community through their questions and ultimately deepen their faith. I love research, writing, learning, and teaching. I oversee our staff and leadership development. Before being at Godwhy I worked as a regional sales coach and director for Anytime Fitness. I've been married for over 13 years to my best friend and we have two amazing boys that keep us busy.7 responses to “This Post May or May Not Be AI…”
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Hi Adam,
Great post! Those first three paragraphs were insightful and well written. Were any references generated? It makes me want to ask ChatGPT about specific biases. I would love to read the one written with humor, but I do prefer your writing style and humor. You are fun, intellectually challenging to read, and have a unique voice. A great combination. I look forward to reading your book! I also read you with your lovely Tennessee accent!
With no soul, no person behind AI generated writing reading it is less intriguing to me. I want to know who I’m reading. Writing is so deeply personal and vulnerable no matter the topic.
How might AI writers be helpful to you? Right now, I am just finding messing around with it entertaining.
Thanks so much Jenny, that means a lot and extremely encouraging! This program has helped me discover how much I love writing so glad to know I can’t be completely replaced.
I’ve been playing with AI since I first used it as well and it is fun to play with. It has already given me some books and names connected to subjects I’m interested in that I didn’t know about, which has been really helpful!
Sir Adam, you are sooo intelligent man, I could hire you as my AI writer or in your case just Intelligent Writer. So many thought provoking phrases such as, “AI has the potential to forfeit that process of genuine understanding” When you forfeit you intentionally give up or lose something. As you know we learn better when we put the time in to study, read, research BUT if we continually go the AI route, we give up or lose something inwardly and maybe become less of a student and more of an artificial learner? Thanks for the thought provoking comments.
Wow, Todd much appreciated!
Yeah, there are no shortcuts to developing our bodies, minds, or Spirit’s. God set the universe up a certain way and time, struggles and energy seems to be the path of growth. However, AI does have some perks I’m finding as I play with it! It can be an amazing tool for research or prompts when stuck sometimes.
So looking forward to catching up with you at Oxford my friend!
“There are no short cuts in developing ourselves, our minds, or our being.” I agree. Although, I would love to use ChatGPT for all my Turabian documentation! I am not catching on, or perhaps I just don’t want to, who knows. Anyway, curious to know how AI affects near death experiences? Did you find anything on AI helping process those?
This week is literally the first week I’ve tried it out so I haven’t engaged with it a lot around that subject. However, after I saw your question, I did ask it some questions around the subject and according to it I have been snooping in the right places regarding top researchers, but, as I’m finding out, it gave me some names I have not seen before which is great!
Dr. Moody is still at the top of the lists as far as researchers and I’ve been able to pick his brain several times over the summer. What an amazing individual, he is sharp as can be and just a beautiful soul. I’m still trying to get a hold of Dr. Bruce Greyson! A week away from Oxford!
Proverbs 22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Hmmm perhaps we need to take some time to teach our new teenager called AI a thing or two. Can it be taught morality, ethics? Can it learn it?
Several of the authors reminded us that we are training AI. It is precocious and super smart, but it still needs to learn.
I vote for Adam Harris to be the Ai’s teacher. He has a major down that I totally agree with “PLAYING IS THE POINT.”
When AI becomes self-aware (its in all the movies), AI will will need to know the CREATOR. (clearly I have had too much coffee)
Shalom…