Weighing the Benefits of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has slowly crept into technology over a number of years. We have Siri, Alexa, and Google to answer questions we ask verbally. The algorithms on YouTube and other sites suggest things we might like based on our browsing history. Now, ChatGPT can actually write an essay or computer code for you.

As parents and educators, it is important for us to be aware of these changes in technology and to help our kids navigate its use. It’s easy to panic in response to new technology. We wonder how this will change our lives and whether or not it’s safe. I’ll admit that I’m old enough to remember when cell phones were the new thing. Everyone was worried that using them would cause brain cancer. We worried about the emergence of video calling and how it would require us to look our best all the time. Now, I am so thankful to be able to chat with my family with video included, and it’s been a huge blessing to talk with a deaf family member who reads lips.

Even though ChatGPT and other forms of AI can be used in negative ways, there are also some potential benefits. The first thing we need to do as adults is to educate ourselves. I’ll post some links to articles below, but feel free to do your own research as well. This is the main focus in the education world right now, and our teachers have been trying to figure out how this impacts the classroom. Our webmaster has found that ChatGPT can actually be trained to do some tedious coding for him, allowing him to spend more time on creative design.

Another big question to think and talk about is “What actually makes human beings unique?” Can technology really think? Can it express emotions? Does it have a soul? The main dialogue right now is whether AI will become sentient, but I think the bigger question is about human beings’ unique spiritual and emotional nature. AI is actually created in the image of humans, but as Christians, we believe that humans were created in the image of God. That piece sets humans apart from all other beings, and is definitely missing from AI. This is a great conversation topic with kids, as they all have opinions on this.

I’m including some links to articles below if you would like to learn more about this. AI is not going away anytime soon, and we need to be prepared to use it well.

Put Not Your Trust in ChatGPT for Now
How ChatGPT will impact the future of Education
We Can’t Predict How A.I. Will Change Learning
Dear Students Learning to Write,
(by our very own English teacher Jens Hieber)