Frederick McFadden
Eng. 111-04W
29 Sept 2024
AI Essay
The World of Generative Artificial Intelligence
“Generative AI has the potential to change the world in ways that we can’t even imagine. It has the power to create new ideas, products, and services that will make our lives easier, more productive, and more creative. It also has the potential to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, such as climate change, poverty, and disease (Gates).” With everything new Generative Artificial Intelligence systems (AI) have to offer humanity they also hold a considerable number of issues, ranging from, inherent biases, integrity violations, and other harms. AI systems can be both an advantage and a detriment to humanity as a whole while also bring used as an ethical and convenient solution to everyday situations and especially in education.
In a summer 2023 article, The Guardian technology writer, Steve Rose interviews AI experts who describe the possible consequences and dangers that artificial intelligence may pose in the future. The recent development of more sophisticated Artificial intelligence (AI) has caused many to call for an immediate halt to the production and development of these systems as well as more rigid rules and regulations for them. The rapid development of these systems has caused concern for the future of humans in the sense that AI could possibly overpower humans in terms of intelligence and cause our extinction. The article cites historical examples, as smarter species have driven others to extinction and the potential for AI to do the same. This concern also stems from the current and present dangers AI poses such as biases in welfare and criminal justice. AI could also spawn future risks for humans as certain individuals and entities could possibly use them for malicious purposes such as chemical or biological weapons (Rose).
Along with the dangers AI poses to humanity as a whole, there is a particular concern with the implementation of these systems in education as described in a Stanford University article by computer science expert Claire Chen. Chen outlines how AI is not particularly conducive to student learning as it is not necessarily designed to generate the most accurate responses but rather, AI is programmed to produce the quickest response while not having the most accurate information leading to decreased student understanding. AI outputs as it turns out, lacks cultural diversity, leading to the creation of an underwhelming learning environment for diverse student populations. AI, as Chen points out, has also had a detrimental effect on student motivation for example the recent advancement in AI technology left some students to question the security of their careers following graduation as well as affecting their feelings of being adequate for School. (Chen).
In a June 2024 article by Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, experts discuss
the ever changing and evolving world of AI and the potential benefits of its utilization in the world of Engineering. The article highlights four major applications for generative artificial intelligence in things like predictive maintenance, design optimization, autonomous systems, and robotic automation. The applications of autonomous systems, for example, play an integral part in things such as automated driving or even addressing major global issues such as climate change. The article also highlights the new career opportunities in the field of Engineering such as machine learning engineers and robotics specialists (The Impact of AI on the Engineering Field). In a June 2023 article Danielle Abril goes in depth as to how the latest generation, Gen Z, is the first generation to enter the workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate their new career with artificial intelligence. The author highlights how Gen Z is the first generation to have grown up in a digital age where they are acclimatized to AI and its workings, using it for things like proof reading, grammar checking, and improving sentence structure. Many universities have already started encouraging students to use AI as a tool, allowing them to better understand complex concepts and streamline their writing. However, amidst worries that AI could replace certain careers this new generation is optimistic that AI will push their new careers forward and enhance them with the correct development oversight (Abril).
Artificial Intelligence has the power to improve the quality of life for so many people, while at the same time posing a threat and danger if left unchecked. The benefits of AI at an educational level have also shown to tremendously benefit to students. AI provides students with the power to get instant feedback, receive personalized and adaptive learning, and virtual tutoring support. In an article from Forbes Magazine, writer Jamie Merisotis outlines how AI allows students understand the value of higher education. AI is a powerful tool for students in education as it provides a myriad of services and assistance, from personalized learning, instant feedback, and structured learning with supplemental resources. AI allows students merge the concept of critical thinking with technology which then enhances students’ ability to be employed later down the line in their careers and also provides students with assistance with their chosen careers by helping to find applicable skills in maneuvering career changes as Artificial intelligence grows (Merisotis). Moreover, AI also has the potential to provide job security in a career field such as Engineering as pointed out by the article by Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, with the possible careers fields provided as a result of AI, such as robotics and automation specialists. When writing this essay I decided to utilize one of these AI's for professional purposes in order to witness their effectiveness first hand. When writing the summary sandwich for the Rose article on the controversies of AI, I got a spot of writers block while looking back and forth between the summary and the article and found it hard to understand the article as a whole. I asked ChatGPT to really break the article down into simpler terms for me to better understand. It worked in about 30 second ChatGPT had generated the article in a form that was better for me to understand, which got me through my writers block and I was able to finish the summary. Previously, in high school I hadn't used any AI for any purpose as I saw it as a quick and simple way out of doing work because teachers denounced its use in any way only seeing it as a way to cheat. Now in college, and after being encouraged to use these systems for professional and ethical reasons, I can see how their benefits can extend to education.
Generative Artificial intelligence has it benefits and dangers, however, they do not seem to be something that will just vanish over night, they are here to stay, whether we like it or not. They benefit the world in more areas than they harm it in our current reality, however, if they become too advanced, they could pose significant harm to us as a species as pointed out in The Guardians article by Steve Rose. These systems provide significant benefits to those in education, aiding students in many ways allowing them to improve their academic literacy and expanding on topics they are already learning, while at the same time posing dangers to students as pointed out in the Stanford article by Clair Chen. AI also has the power to enhance career paths for engineers as pointed out in the article by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, in areas like automation. Recommending that everyone learn how and when to use AI is a blessing and a curse as it has so many positives that could outweigh the negatives, however, there is one factor at play that could ruin these systems for everyone and that is getting to be too reliant on them. In all it is up to the individual to make the determination as to whether they should use AI, and then once they have made that determination they can then decide how and what to use it for.
Works cited:
Gates, Bill. “The Most Thought-Provoking Generative Artificial Intelligence Quotes of 2023.” Forbes Magazine, 29 November, 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/11/29/the-most-thought-provoking-generative-artificial-intelligence-quotes-of-2023/. Accessed 29 sept, 2024
Rose, Steve. “Five Ways AI Might Destroy the World: Everyone on Earth could
Fall over Dead in the Same Second.” The Guardian, 7 July, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/07/five-ways-ai-might-
destroy-the-world-everyone-on-earth-could-fall-over-dead-in-the-same-
second?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1. Accessed 9 Sep 2024.
“The Impact of AI on the Engineering Field.” Johns Hopkins Whiting School of engineering, 14
June 2024, https://ep.jhu.edu/news/the-impact-of-ai-on-the-engineering-field/. Accessed 25 Sep,
2024.
Abril, Danielle. “New Gen Z graduates are fluent in AI and ready to join the workforce.” The
Washington Post, 28 June 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/28/ai-
gen-z-
work/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_7192213_nl_Teac
hing_date_20230706&cid=te&source=ams&sourceid=. Accessed 25 Sep, 2024.
Merisotis, Jamie. “For College Students – and for Higher Ed itself – AI is a Required Course.” Forbes Magazine, 17 July, 2024, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiemerisotis/2024/07/17/for-college-students-and-for-higher-ed-itself-ai-is-a-required-course/. Accessed 7 Oct 2024.
Chen, Claire. “AI will Transform Teaching and Learning. Let’s Get it Right.” Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, 9 March, 2023, https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-will-transform-teaching-and-learning-lets-get-it right#:~:text=Models%20do%20not%20optimize%20for,spark%20curiosity%20to%20learn%20more. Accessed 9 Oct 2024.