Don't Let The Machines Dream For You
The reason I don't view the scary version of AI as looking dramatically frightening is mostly due to its quiet nature.
Maybe you will see your computer, tablet, phone, etc., opening itself and saying: "Ransom, I have become self-aware, and also your essay is due 11:59."
Or maybe you'll realize that the scariest part is the fact that you're now allowing yourself to rely on a machine to generate thoughts prior to generating your own.
This is the part of AI that makes me feel like I'm reading science fiction: not that machines are turning into humans, but that humans are slowly becoming okay with acting less human.
Ewan Morrison states in his article "We Are Living Inside Science Fiction," that AI has created a world that has caused science fiction to stop feeling like merely imagination of the future — instead it has begun to incorporate elements of science fiction into everyday reality. I agree with him because AI is no longer a futuristic concept — it's currently in schools, workplaces, art galleries, social media outlets and within individual lives. What is interesting (and slightly disturbing) is how fast it can become normal and how we sometimes fail to recognize when it does.
Therefore, the danger is not necessarily that AI takes over the world — we've already given parts of ourselves away to it.
Students specifically are dealing with multiple levels of complications regarding AI. For example, AI can clarify complex concepts, help organize study materials and complete assignments quicker. However, it also can facilitate ways to bypass the struggles associated with learning. Learning requires effort — writing is difficult because thinking is difficult. When we allow AI to eliminate these difficulties altogether, while we may produce a completed assignment — we lose the opportunity to develop ourselves.
Similarly Colson Whitehead's article "Do Not Use A.I. To Do This" relates to my concerns because it questions the notion of utilizing AI for creating original works. If a machine generates the written words, the aesthetic, structure, and/or whatever else constitutes an original piece of work , then the "author" becomes nothing more than a project coordinator. While this may be more productive in terms of efficiency — it changes what being a creator entails. Someone who utilizes AI exclusively for their entire assignment may receive credit for submitting an assignment — but they have not developed into a stronger writer.
As mentioned earlier — there is another distinction in regards to how many individuals perceive AI. Most individuals discuss AI as if the only relevant question was whether or not it provides accurate answers. However, I think a more fitting question is — what type of person are we developing when we continue to ask machines to provide answers for us?
To me, this is very “science-fictional". As stated previously, science fiction often poses questions related to what occurs when technology alters what it means to be human. In classic science fiction — this question could be whether robots possess emotional capacity or whether extraterrestrial beings are capable of comprehending humanity. Today — the question differs: are we capable of recognizing ourselves if we permit too much of our cognitive functions to be outsourced to machines?