A greater method for instructing about AI (opinion)

You’ve most likely seen a lot of metaphors evaluating generative AI to a superpower or a genie in a bottle. These aren’t fairly proper.  

For those who’ve used gen AI, that the “magic energy” feeling is fleeting. Sure, it may well give you a reasonably good Wikipedia-style clarification of amoebas or utilitarianism, however as quickly as you need to produce one thing actually attention-grabbing with ChatGPT and different massive language fashions, issues begin go a bit flawed. 

And that’s factor. AI’s shortcomings are a blessing: They offer us a extremely good purpose to proceed considering for ourselves.

The identical goes for college kids. And we are able to leverage this truth (that we mustn’t cease considering for ourselves) to attempt to make our college students way more considerate in how they use AI. 

As a tutorial adviser and studying developer, I converse usually with college students about their makes use of of AI. Within the early ChatGPT days, college students didn’t need to discuss it. I believe they had been fearful they had been doing one thing flawed. However just lately they’re opening up. What they are saying has shocked me.  

College students’ approaches to AI run the complete gamut. This contains those that haven’t any expertise or curiosity, those that cheat or take shortcuts which might be unhealthy for studying, and, splendidly, a stunning quantity who’ve a extremely well-developed and self-reflective view of their relationship to AI.  

I’m optimistic that this final group will really turn out to be the mainstream. Educators may help transfer this development alongside if we are able to collectively change the tradition round AI, mannequin wholesome AI makes use of and embed vital AI literacy into schooling. 

I’ve taken up that decision within the type of a guide referred to as AI for College students (Promptly, 2024). The guide demonstrates how AI tech can be utilized not as magic powers, and even as instruments, however extra as interactive areas, or digital lecture rooms.

In the sort of state of affairs, college students study to make use of the expertise, to not outsource their brains, however in actual fact to assume extra creatively and actively—and to have enjoyable alongside the way in which.  

What does this appear like? It’s all about what you ask the bot to do. Don’t ask it to do stuff for you. Ask it to ask you to do stuff. Right here’s just a little experiment you’ll be able to attempt to distinction the 2 approaches.

First method: Ask an AI chat bot to write down you a sonnet.  

Second method: Write a verse of sonnet your self. Take pleasure in it. Have the bot critique it. Take into consideration that critique. Revise your verse if you want. Mirror on the interplay. 

I did this course of, and the 2 experiences had been starkly totally different. The AI sonnet was after all impressively quick and adequately sonnet-like. However the factor is: I finished studying after line three, “The winds do carry whispers on the breeze.”  

It’s simply not that attention-grabbing to learn mediocre poetry, particularly when it comes from one thing that, so far as we all know, will not be aware.  It’s boring, and that’s factor. As a result of the second method was a completely totally different expertise. Right here is how that went:  

I wrote my very own dodgy first verse and, although it wasn’t good poetry, it was superb enjoyable. I haven’t thought of sonnets in ages, and right here I used to be having fun with the rhythms, the imagery, the sensation of friction in my mind from doing one thing laborious.  

None of which I bought from the earlier method. 

Now, when the bot gave me suggestions on my verse, it identified weaknesses in coherence and readability of picture. It was proper. Certain, I used to be sort of conscious of those weaknesses already, however the truth of the interplay made me assume more durable about my decisions. The suggestions made me take my writing, although it was only a lark, just a little extra significantly.  

It additionally made me assume more durable about what “coherence” and “readability” even imply as standards … and had been these standards I valued and needed to just accept?  And was the bot’s definition of those phrases the identical as my very own?

And on it went: an actual, dwell studying course of. A mini writing workshop. A artistic journey. A dabbling with an artwork I’d by no means meant to dabble in. And now I’ll go around the globe just a little extra conscious of sonnets, and meter, and concepts about coherence and readability. And I’ll have enjoyable with that.  

So right here’s the thought you’ll be able to put into observe: Let’s drop the notion of AI as a magic energy. Let’s even drop the notion of AI as a instrument. This minimizes its complexity. As a substitute, let’s make it an area, a body, a state of affairs, a set of occasions that stimulate considering and preserve us engaged. 

Present your college students how to do that. Present them how you can get the bot to quiz them. Or nudge them for higher proof. Or tighter arguments. Or to see issues from totally different views. 

How do you try this? Right here’s the fundamental ethos: Don’t immediate the bot to create content material; immediate the bot to immediate you. And repeat. 

Extra particularly, you’ll be able to comply with three steps: First, give the bot an purpose, like “I have to observe forensic accounting vocabulary.” Second, give the bot a task, like, “OK bot, you’re an accounting skilled, and also you’re going to offer me questions that make me use this vocabulary.” Third, give the bot constraints and codecs, like, “Don’t give me solutions, simply level out weaknesses in my definitions and immediate me to revise my very own reply.” 

And that’s largely what it’s essential know in regards to the mindset and the approach of fixing AI from being a genie in a lamp or a magic content material mill to an interactive area for studying.  An area the place the learner’s thoughts is central, engaged and dealing laborious.

Strive it, be part of the dialog and collectively let’s make these fabulous new applied sciences a enjoyable, productive and humane piece of the complicated system of schooling.