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The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

microsoft.com

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Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#101

Post by an_guy »

Kye wrote: post #99
insane_dreamer wrote: post #87

personal related example: my 12 year old son is a terrible speller; whenever I've tried to encourage him to improve in it, he's like "why do I need to know how to spell, I just use grammarly". And so we raise a next generation who grow up with AI and see no more value in learning a host of knowledge skills.

The notion of a correct spelling is a relatively new innovation. I can't come up with a defense even for a conventional spelling that doesn't lean on "people will try to shame you for it," and that doesn't seem like a great reason to do things that add cognitive load for no real benefit.

Written communication depends on correct spelling and grammar to a certain extent. Grammarly can only help you so much.

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#102

Post by insane_dreamer »

Kye wrote: post #99
insane_dreamer wrote: post #87

personal related example: my 12 year old son is a terrible speller; whenever I've tried to encourage him to improve in it, he's like "why do I need to know how to spell, I just use grammarly". And so we raise a next generation who grow up with AI and see no more value in learning a host of knowledge skills.

The notion of a correct spelling is a relatively new innovation. I can't come up with a defense even for a conventional spelling that doesn't lean on "people will try to shame you for it," and that doesn't seem like a great reason to do things that add cognitive load for no real benefit.

If you send an email that is rife with spelling or grammatical mistakes, especially basic ones, your interlocutors are not likely to take you seriously.

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#103

Post by [deleted] »

insane_dreamer wrote: post #102
Kye wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The notion of a correct spelling is a relatively new innovation. I can't come up with a defense even for a conventional spelling that doesn't lean on "people will try to shame you for it," and that doesn't seem like a great reason to do things that add cognitive load for no real benefit.

If you send an email that is rife with spelling or grammatical mistakes, especially basic ones, your interlocutors are not likely to take you seriously.

[deleted]

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#104

Post by latexr »

tsylba wrote: post #35

Interesting, in my experience LLMs hallucinate so much on stuffs I know about that I instinctively challenge most of their assumptions and outputs, and found out that this kind of dialectic exchange bring the most out of the "relationship" so to speak, co creating something greater than the isolation of us two. Relevant 2018 essay by Nicky Case «How To Become A Centaur»: https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/issue3-case/…

> in my experience LLMs hallucinate so much on stuffs I know about that I instinctively challenge most of their assumptions and outputs

In my experience most people don’t do that. Therein lies the problem.

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#105

Post by ofrzeta »

I've thought about this myself and try to cultivate a mindset of distrust towards the LLM. It's hard because the way it is set up is just so convincing that you regularly need to remind yourself that it might be bullshitting.

Really the user interface should be like "here's a system where you can enter some text and it outputs statistically generated text that might be useful to you". Of course that won't happen because the charade (the conversational interface) is part of its success.

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#106

Post by tgv »

tmnvdb wrote: post #83
tgv wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> so we can focus on what humans are actually good at You know what humans are good at? Deluding ourselves. Because that's what you're doing. Using vague, feel-good words, based on vague analogies, no proof, to keep the inconvenient truth at bay. Not being able to navigate with a paper map is a big thing: people get lost inside buildings without a map. Next time the power fails, half of the GenZ will be lost. Not bei…

GPS still works when power fails.

Until your phone battery runs out.

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#107

Post by userbinator »

ulfw wrote: post #5
onetokeoverthe wrote: post #3

Those with critical thinking skills already realize this. Isn't MS heavily involved in AIBS?

I doubt they mind if their customers lack critical thinking skills

Unfortunately nor their employees either, if their products and some occasional comments by them on here are any indication.

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#108

Post by 52-6F-62 »

dale_glass wrote: post #29
52-6F-62 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knowing which direction you are facing is an obsolete skill? I don’t think you’ve been paying attention. You’ve been watching too many Ted talks or something

What do you do with that knowledge? I mean, it's a good skill if you're actually going to apply it to something. Knowing you're facing north is great if there's some use you get out out that. Finding your way around is way more work than just "north is that way". I remember the first time I traveled internationally. Incredible stress. I had a bunch of printouts with all the details. Still, I depended completely on th…

…Did you just chastise me for being able to orient myself?

Re: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking [pdf]

#109

Post by getlawgdon »

getlawgdon wrote: post #52
Kye wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really has been a sight watching the loudest anti-AI people flog this around, then turn to rage when you clarify the range of the actual conclusion. Generative AI got a lot more useful when I started seeing it abstractly. I put data in, it finds correlations in its neural network, and produces different data. I have to be intentional in interpreting that data to figure out what to do with it. Once I started thinki…

Can you offer a few examples of the kinds of work/projects/tasks you've used ai for?

Thank you.
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