Yesterday morning, I woke up thinking that what truly matters is what we do (and I wrote about it).
Then, I spent the day with a group of high school students talking about AI, and they made me realize even more that knowing stuff (even a lot of stuff) is only part of the story.
What we decide to do with the stuff we know is what truly matters.
They did that by asking some powerful questions. We were discussing the fact that generative AI tools sometimes make stuff up. A student pointed out that if AI learns from fabricated information generated by other AI, it will eventually become a huge mess.
Ouch.
So, someone else asked if we would get to a point where we would have to stop it entirely. And if that is even possible.
Young people can ask beautiful questions if we let them.
Anyway, their questions made me realize that AI, being a simulation of how we learn and think, is just showing the limitations of our current approach to learning.
We focus a lot on knowing stuff.
What truly matters, however, is what we decide to do with what we learn.
And deciding is not just about knowledge.
And it's more than just thinking.
That AI can do.
Deciding is much more than that.
It includes things like ethics, values, feelings, empathy, and responsibility.
Deciding is a very human act.
I wonder if we are teaching future generations how to make wise choices. Choices that aim to advance humanity without leaving anyone behind.
Because I look around and realise that my generation does not seem particularly good at making wise decisions.
Luckily, every interaction with students gives me hope.
Is deciding a very human act? Or is it that we have developed so that we have more internal (often conflicting) resources to draw on and consider as we make decisions. And why is it a given that AI overtime won’t develop and be able to access those same resources and more