Just Because We Can, Does That Mean We Should?

Cross posted from The Digital Learning Den.

If you have already read some of my recent posts about generative AI then you will understand that I have many worries about it. Everything from the negative effects on the environment, on people's mental health, through to the risk on jobs, education and society in general, along with much more in between. I was hoping that through writing those posts and then looking at what generative AI can provide us, that I would gain a clearer understanding of how I felt about generative AI. Well I think that I've now found that understanding and it is very much one that is highly critical of generative AI. My personal position is one where the many negative aspects of this technology vastly outweigh the positive uses. I've been trying to think of a simple word to describe how I would characterise generative AI and I think I've found it in the word 'insidious'. "Alluring but harmful" - in my opinion, perfectly capturing my feelings to generative AI.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've had an interest in AI for many years, but after the explosion of generative AI over the last 18 months or so, I decided to spend several months immersing myself in the world of generative AI. I read books, online articles from the world of tech, news and business, tried out a variety of generative AI tools and listened to dozens of podcasts. You can find reference to many of these in my previous AI posts. I thought about what I read, listened to and experienced, I spoke to family, friends and colleagues about the subject and ended up writing the posts to try and get my thoughts clear and to put into my own words the knowledge and understanding I had gleaned. Therefore I believe that I have arrived at a somewhat informed position on generative AI.

This paragraph taken from the Introduction to the Science and Technology Area of Learning and Experience is very pertinent in this context:

"Ready access to vast amounts of data requires all learners to be able to assess inputs critically, understand the basis of information presented as fact, and make informed judgements that impact their own behaviours and values. They need to develop the ability to meaningfully ask the question, ‘Just because we can, does that mean we should?’"

"Just because we can, does that mean we should?" This is a question I'm going back to all the time at the moment and it pretty much sums up my thoughts about generative AI. Just because you can use generative AI to create a lesson plan, make some pupil classroom resources or help you to compose an email to a 'difficult' parent, does that mean you should, based on what you know about this digital technology? For me, using or making the choice not to use generative AI, has become an ethical decision. In the same way as I came to the decision not to smoke based on the potential damage to my health and to others, likewise I don't want to use this technology as I know about the many ways it can do harm to the environment, to our mental health, to our jobs, to education, to the creative industries, etc. Therefore I'm making the decision not to use it.

I need to be clear at this point. If you are a teacher and you are reading this, I certainly am not going to tell you that you shouldn't be using generative AI. I am just explaining how I got to my personal position on this subject. I know first hand the stresses that you are under and I can completely understand that anything that can help your workload can only be a good thing. I am certainly not going to preach at you and tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing. However, through my coming posts I hope to provide you with a more rounded, critical perspective on generative AI. If you want the more positive side of using this technology search out posts from Google, Microsoft and others, I can assure you that you will find lots. Hopefully all this information will help you to come to your own ethical decision, like I did, on whether to continue using and exploring this technology, maybe trying to limit your use or even to decide not to use it at all - as a teacher wrote recently in response to discussions about the use of generative AI in education, "You can just say, "No"".

I believe this section referring to the four purposes in the Curriculum for Wales, is arguably as relevant for us as teachers as it is for our learners.

We want our learners (teachers?) to become -

Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world who:

• find, evaluate and use evidence in forming views
• engage with contemporary issues based upon their knowledge and values
• understand and exercise their human and democratic responsibilities and rights
• understand and consider the impact of their actions when making choices and acting
• are knowledgeable about their culture, community, society and the world, now and in the past
• respect the needs and rights of others, as a member of a diverse society
• show their commitment to the sustainability of the planet.