I must be crazy. At least that keeps popping up in my consciousness. I helped start an AI user group in our area to encourage people to learn more about AI. What I have witnessed in the last 6 months is impressive yet bothersome. I see people using AI for generating all kinds of reports, presentations, company manuals, and even coursework. The productivity potential is truly amazing, like what I saw after a classmate at Harvard, Dan Fylstra invented the electronic spreadsheet. VisiCalc. My financial analysis world was never the same and I am grateful.
What is bothersome? I see the danger of substituting machine learning for ability of individuals to think critically. And that worries me enough to sit down and start blogging again.
AI primarily refers to generative large language models. Yet I discovered large language models over 60 years ago. My Dad, Dick Miller, was the original software engineer in my life. He often reminded our middle-class family, that we all shared the ultimate wealth tool: the English Language. He programed it into our family ever night at the dinner table. Yes. I am that old to have eaten dinner every weeknight at a table with my sister and parents. Dad would bring home a word and work it into the conversation. Precipitous, Acrimony, Sanguine all found their way into a sentence. My sister and I would, of course, look at each other and roll our eyes Didn’t matter, Dad was convinced that a large vocabulary was available to everyone, and he was going to build our communication nest egg.
Dad succeeded: To this day and most of my adult life, people turn to me to ask what a word means, and I know the answer more times than not. And when I speak, I find words that I forgot Dad programmed into me and have advanced in my career in part thanks to my communication skills. Thank you, Dad and the Harvard Business School, “Case Method.”
Without a focus on critical thinking and communication skills, something God gave all of us, I see the continual decline in the ability to discover the truth. When our cognitive ability is overwhelmed, we are wired to choose fight or flight. AI has accelerated an already overwhelming information firehose we drink from daily. Is it any wonder so many people are either angry or turned off to issues and stop at believing whatever they hear, see, or read from their favorite information source?
All I know is that when I have to see down and put my thoughts into a format that is a permanent record for all to see, I am forced to think. Writing this is not easy but nothing worth acquiring and keeping is.
Here is my antidotal (another Dick Miller dinner word) evidence to support my return to blogging position:
Math – I was raised with math cards and gamification of the multiplication/division cards. As a result, I can multiple and divide in my head. I sadly marvel at how few people can figure out a tip, make change, or even add a column of numbers. When our brand new point of sale system when down in our Victora Station in 1978, our wait staff couldn’t do a manual check out.
Computer -When I learned to type, we had single key typewriters that were almost impossible to correct. I remember Mom getting a IBM Selectrc typewriter and how easy it was to correct. Both still required you think before hitting the key. Then along came the Wang word processor and the eventually the PC and Word. Each generation made it easier to throw out words without first REALLY THINKING about what you wanted to communicate. Now that texting is the norm, communication skills had eroded further and lead to more miscommunication. When it comes to communication and understanding, speed kills.
Understanding – God gave us 5 senses for a reason. The more senses involved in a communication with someone, the exponentially higher the rate at which the communication is understood. Problem of course is that we can’t always be present with someone we need to communication with. Technology solved this to an extent with the unintended consequence of speeding communication while decreasing understanding. The Harvard Business Review published an article 10+ years ago, “Don’t Hit the Send Button” on this topic. Sounds obvious but here’s the AI twist. I have seen demos of avitars so life like I thought it was my friend on the screen. And like John F Kennedy in the movie, Forrest Gump, the answers from the Avatar are derived from a database of my friend’s prior communications. So how will I know in a year if my friend on the other side of the screen is real?
That is why I intend to work my Neanderthal math card, IBM Selectric brain and knock out these blogs. I will add video blogs with some clue that is really is ol' Pro356rick. My goal remains that, when I see Jesus descending from the clouds, I will recognize Him and not assume it’s the latest product from Meta.
This draft came from my own thoughts on January 3, 2025. Rick Miller.
PART 2 - WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I FEED THIS INTO PERPLEXITY.IO
Commentaires