This op-ed was originally published in the Deseret News on June5, 2023.
AI is here to stay. So, in a world with AI, what is human intelligence?
AI is a powerful tool that mimics human intelligence with the ability to improve itself through machine learning. It processes large amounts of data, finds patterns and performs tasks like creating schedules far faster than humans.
Where do humans excel?
Humans have perspective. We are able to take the information we have and judge it, looking for meaning. People are able to understand abstract concepts like beauty, ethics, truth and kindness.
With this backdrop, how do we prepare our children and ourselves for the future?
AI and education
Education and learning must look different.
We should not fear AI. Outright bans of its use in schools is the wrong policy. But so is its unrestrained and unguided use. So, let’s teach children to use AI while questioning given answers and verifying claims — good skills in any situation.
According to a recent article published by the Guardian, a college professor recently caught multiple students using AI to completely write their papers for class. Instead of punishing the students, the professor had one-on-one conversations with the students and asked about why they used AI instead of writing their papers themselves. This was likely the right step, but this type of conversation should happen before an assignment.
I doubt anyone would consider it wrong if these students had used AI to help with idea generation, or to identify when they used passive instead of active voice. AI can be used in these ways.
