The Joy of Not Having to "Learn" AI

There are indeed benefits to getting old. For example, not being told by employers that you have to learn and become proficient with whatever the next shiny object to come along is. You can observe the media clatter with bemusement and maybe even a bit of genuine interest, but certainly none of the dread that comes along with being commanded to do something you don't want to do, or something you don't really have any aptitude for, and needing to do it because your paycheck depends on it. Back when my career was in it's "checkered" phase, I used to volunteer to do stuff I didn't really know how to do, and I'm not sure I really helped myself that way. One thing I volunteered for was learning html and how to conceive, organize, maintain, and populate websites. But I did that because I liked it. And it paid off over the long run. Now, of course, websites come in a distant whatever behind the rapidly proliferating social media vehicles. But, again, it doesn't matter now since I'm old. It gives me a warm feeling to know I don't need to know Slack from Twitch (and yes even those are surely being superseded by apps and programs I know nothing of).

So what about AI itself? I had fun last year feeding my essays and poems into ChatGPT. The results were fascinating. They got me! They really got me! Okay, I'm partially jesting because ChatGPT is known to be sycophantic. But . . . but setting the praise aside, I would say that it indicated a clear understanding of what I was trying to achieve with each poem or essay and was able to place my work within wider aesthetic and critical traditions, ones I actually wasn't always aware of. (That's because I'm largely "untrained.") But here's the catch. When it made editorial suggestions I was largely ambivalent about their suggestions. I'm just not how sure whether I not I would want to rely on AI for that. Which is why it would suck if your boss told you you had to. I'll tell you one thing it's not going to do is "improve" teaching and learning. There is no trick that hasn't been tried and good teachers know how to get their students to learn -- in a deep manner including true comprehension. So it would really suck if your principle required you to rely on AI for your pedagogy.

So I'm lucky I can engage with AI on my own terms, and can treat it as irrelevant to the extent I choose. The question, then, is to what extent will AI's role in the larger society impinge on my treasured independence -- for good or for ill. The way the discourse is now is that AI will either usher in a utopia or a dystopia. So what are the dystopic AI pitfalls or catastrophes that might arise and impact even those who choose to not engage within their personal sphere? I suppose that through some nefarious tactics (to us, not to AI which has no morality of ethics) it could crash the world market. That would be fun! Let's see. Other doomsday scenarios? How about AI gets in the military system and starts firing missiles without being commanded. Or withdrawing money directly from your accounts. Or, on a more intimate level, what if they inform you all your human doctors have been replaced by AI. But that's all speculation and honestly I don't spend much time worrying about that stuff. No, I spend my time be grateful for my ability to use AI when and how I see fit.