What’s the difference between AI and us humans? asks Pixie Van Dimple
We have been debating this for a while now in recent times, as artificial intelligence makes it’s way into every facet of our lives (and infiltrated Pixie’s brain in her book Pixie Van Dimple and the Wrong Kind of Artificial Intelligence – not in a good way!)
AI is developing at speed and could be the answer to everything – the golden ticket to solve all our problems … or it could be the monster of all monsters to bring us all down! Whooaaa! Let’s just make sure it is developed responsibly with established rules before being unleashed unregulated into our lives!
Back to the question – what is the difference between AI and humans? Well.. Pixie and I did ask AI (ironically) to come up with a story to help us understand this quite difficult concept, which I think it has done very well. It also demonstrates how exceptional each of us are as humans, growing by day, layer by layer, our feelings, experiences and subtle nuances shaping us into the people we become, intertwined with others forming complex relationships of all kinds. No tech can replace that uniqueness… we are extraordinary – don’t forget that! (I was inspired by existential thinking for this post)..
Now the other thing is – Technology is infiltrating classrooms more and more as there is a school of thought that young people need to be prepared for the onslaught of AI and advanced technologies of the future (which is true), but we are also trying to balance the use of devices with offline, in class and outdoor activities to prevent our children from being affected by too much screentime and smartphone use. This is because there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that children ARE being affected (The Anxious Generation by Jon Haidt)
Many schools are now publishing/revising mobile phone policies to limit or prevent children from using mobile phones in school during the school day. It appears the time was right for parents/teachers, and some of the children themselves, to come together to push back on Big Tech’s assault on them and our young people to counter the negative affects of smartphones in schools. Of course this only limits use during the school day – what happens when the day ends?
More the point, how much time in the day do young people spend using school devices as they probably all have access to one? Does this help those who may have smartphone addictions – chasing dopamine fixes throughout the day? How integral to the school day should devices and technology be? We do need to make sure our children are learning relevant content and developing skills and knowledge in preparation for an AI future, like we said, but we need to get the balance right, otherwise there maybe a price to pay – that is another blog…perhaps focusing on our PURPOSE in life?
Have a read – what do you think? Let me know your views – email us pixie@lynn-mcallister.com
Love Lynn & Pixie
XOXOXOXO
Lynn McAllister 