thing 16: Looking Back, Thinking Forward

We’ve reached the end of our journey- congratulations! What did you learn? What do you still want to know?

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Our More Resources page has a plethora of articles, videos, and websites to help you learn more about GenAI.  Here are some of our favorite pieces on this ever-changing subject.

Candice recommends: They Asked an AI Chatbot Questions. The Answers Had Them Spiraling.  “ChatGPT was designed to be conversational with users. This New York Times article details how chatbot discussions can quickly distort reality and lead people into conspiracy theories. A fascinating and cautionary tale.”

Camille recommends: O’Neil, L. (2023). These Women Tried to Warn Us About AI. Rolling Stone, 1379, 42. (alternate access to PDF).

Anna recommends: Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr. A novel about the preservation, influence, and power of story, knowledge, and human relationships set over multiple centuries from the fall of Constantinople to a futuristic society guided by AI. “There’s immense possibility in these [21st century] technologies, of course, but what makes us happy and gives meaning to our lives is our connection with each other, and our connection with stories, and our connection with species other than us.”

Troy recommends: The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology, Second Edition, by Langdon Winner

Paul recommends: Can AI teach us anything about our subconscious? I offered up my dreams to find out “AI chatbots have a tendency to exaggerate, but their verbose nature feels well-suited to the highly associative task of dream analysis” AND https://dreamsfaq.com/ “Get instant, accurate interpretations of your dreams using advanced AI technology. Our system understands the nuances of dream symbolism and provides personalized insights.” Also, “you can try our basic dream interpreter without an account… However, creating a free account gives you access to your personal dream journal, the full dream dictionary, and interactive chat features.”

Discuss:

How has your thinking changed, shifted, or evolved over the course of 16 things? What are you still curious about? Would you consider yourself an AI advocate, skeptic, or critic?

29 replies on “thing 16: Looking Back, Thinking Forward”

I was a skeptic at the start of “16 Things” and now I am so curious to learn more and keep abreast of AI related news, innovations and the effects on a personal level, within our community, and on a global scale. I love your recommendations above and for providing the More Resources page. Thank you all!

I think my mentality towards AI has remained pretty consistent, though I better understand now how much further research I need to do. I would say that I am healthily skeptical of AI, particularly due to the rapidly changing information that continues to be shared about it. The ethical considerations give me great caution about how much we should be using it, especially since so many people don’t know the full extent of them (myself included). I’m curious about how we will continue to address these concerns and how we can keep up with the changes as they come in a sustainable way.

My thinking has evolved over the course of 16 things, I did not know much about AI, Chat or Gem. What the programs can do or may help with. I was actually worried, because when we hear things they are generally from a negative angles. I am still curious and want to learn to use them more effectively. I don’t know what I would consider myself to be AI advocate, skeptic, or critic.
I do feel technology is a good, and may be helpful in many ways if used correctly, as with everything people have created.
Thank you for the opportunity to learn, AI things!

Thanks to all who helped develop this course! My perspective on AI has remained much the same throughout. I see it as a double-edged sword and believe that we (especially in academia) need to stay abreast, as best we can, of the technology and determine how we can help our students use it to learn more, not less.
I learned about Gemini Gem which I hadn’t used before and the importance of giving it detailed and specific instructions so that its output would be more to my liking.
AI has changed dramatically in the last two years, and I wonder what changes it will bring in the next 2, 4, 6 years and beyond. Everything will change. The question is how?

My overall thinking about AI hasn’t changed, but I have certainly learned several things that I will be able to use moving forward. (1) I find it fascinating that the biggest current use of AI is to help “organize life.” (2) The pointers toward how to document the use of AI so that you can go back and reference it will be valuable. It reminded me a bit of how one creates transcripts of conversations with interview subjects. (3) I learned about new tools — specifically Claude, Gemini Gems, and Semantic Scholar. (4) I will want to look more at how we can support students to integrate AI into the “practice” phase of learning. I have taught a variety of introductory statistics courses, and the students retain material best when they apply it to scenarios of interest to them (e.g., what a chemistry student and an apparel design student find interesting can be quite different). How can we integrate, evaluate, and assess (or should we) this into our pedagogy?

Stream of consciousness ahead. Sorry!

Overall, I’m still really skeptical of AI, and we really do need a containment strategy (re: Mustafa Suleyman). I can imagine the ways in which AI can help improve our lives and automate the more mundane/tedious tasks, but I’m not seeing companies or CEOs using it in that way. We’re talking about using AI to create 100% of their content.

I took the WGC AI and Ethics course this past year. The moral of the story for them was basically “Those who control data control AI.” We’ve been talking about data and how data is the new hot commodity for years, and why it’s a problem. AI is accelerating and exacerbating those issues.

Ultimately, AI is here to stay. I know I have to learn how to use it or be left behind, but staying on top of its controversies, the potential good and bad uses, and staying media literate will be imperative.

My view of chatbots being glorified internet search summarizes has not changed. But, through the “things” I have found new uses for them and can craft better prompts for more specific results. I have not heard of Google’s Gemini before and it seems like it would be very helpful being able to upload files with information rather than having to list them in each and every chat.
I also thought the image creation and image summary “things” were interesting. It showed me how asking for a specific image, but changing variables such as lighting, materials, and composition can give variable results very quickly.

This course was a nice overview of AI tools, the impact it has and also the drawbacks. I did enjoy the topics and bite-sized delivery. I think I am more interested in AI use now and keep finding ways to incorporate it into my work and personal life as I learned more about what it can do. There is a clear warning and the need to double check AI to ensure the outcome is correct and makes sense for sure. I feel more confident now that I am aware of short comings and can use AI more comfortably due to the knowledge gained. Thank you for putting this together and help me expand my understanding of this tool that is most likely not going anywhere anytime soon.

My overall assessment of AI tools has not changed after the program. I’d say I am a cautiously-optimistic proponent of tools like this. I began using AI very seriously at work when it first debuted, so I saw from my own eyes how much improvements there were just under a year or so. But the course offers good insights on the limitations (hallucinations and how to potentially trigger hallucinations). I think the best part of the course for me is actually explaining how AI works (how sources are trained, how generative image functions work, etc.). I actually would prefer more tech explanations; I think the bite-sized sessions are much better than, say an one hour video. But I am a bit disappointed because the course didn’t cover as much as AI’s threat to the environment as I hoped.

My overall thinking has not changed. If you’re putting up recommended readings, I highly recommend Bender & Hanna’s The AI Con (https://thecon.ai/). Also, for a more computer science-y take, the original stochastic parrots paper is still valuable.

I learned a lot. For instance, I was very moved to learn about the environmental impacts of Gen AI. I see some of the benefits, such as how it can help jumpstart your own thinking. However, I’m still a skeptic. I would like more information on how to incorporate AI in the classroom as a way to prompt student thinking but not to replace it.

While learning about the 16 Things, I was reaffirmed by the fact that AI is not a replacement. It is still one of the quickest evolving spaces and (I assume) it feel like the dot com boom, where people are dreaming of possiblities and it is only a matter of time before finding what is truely possible.

Thank you so much for putting this course together! I have found AI to be intimidating, and in many ways having these bite sized lessons helped to make learning about it more manageable. I know we need to accept that AI is here to stay, and learn to work with it, but I remain concerned about how it can be biased. I am also very concerned about the environmental impact! We have become so attached to our screens, I think it is very important to detox from all media, including AI, on a regular basis. I have done several LinkedIn Learning courses taught by Dave Birss, and have found his approach to be very balanced and helpful. I now follow him on LinkedIn. I’d like to recommend his recent article, “AI is Full-On, August was Full-Off.” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-full-on-august-full-off-dave-birss-rghde/?trackingId=RxyiNBGvkrDH13lUF7hYfQ%3D%3D

I am glad I went through the course. I am a reluctant AI user, and this course gave me a necessary push to try some of the technology. I wish there were season 2 focus more on possible uses of AI in education, looking in both positive and negative sides of it.
At the same time, the course reinforced my reservation about mindlessly inserting AI tools everywhere, as it highlighted its negative effect on environment and on brain development.

I’m an AI advocate but still need some work on developing prompts to better narrow responses. I’m still skeptical on AI imagery and have to get familiar with more than just ChatGPT, but will still be using it for work and my personal life.

I learned a lot from this course and from experimenting with these tools. I think the skepticism that I had at the beginning of this course still remains, but I feel better versed in the variety of things that GenAI can do. One source that I came across while doing this course was an article by a UVA professor on comparing AI-assisted writing with human-generated writing in an English course: https://lithub.com/what-happened-when-i-tried-to-replace-myself-with-chatgpt-in-my-english-classroom/
One insight from this article and from this course that I think is salient is that learning writing is different from doing writing. When we are teaching a skill, we want students to be able to execute on that skill regardless of what tools they have access to. This is something I want to keep thinking about as we see GenAI continue to evolve.
Thanks for putting this together!

Over the course, I’ve noticed my view of AI shift from being mostly excited about what it could do for me to being more thoughtful about how I actually use it day to day (as well as a little concerned). At first, I saw it as this almost magical tool that could make everything easier, but now I’m more aware of how easy it is to lean on it too much and start losing confidence in my own abilities. I’m still curious about how I can find the right balance of using AI to save time without letting it take over the parts of writing and problem-solving that help me grow. I’d probably describe myself as an advocate, but a cautious one, because while I see the real benefits in my own life, I also don’t want to become dependent in ways that hold me back.

I started this course never having explored AI, so I really appreciate the information and exercises. I feel like I am more versed in the technology for having sampled it. While I am still a skeptic, and worry about the environmental impact of this technology, I am glad to know more about it. Thank you to the creators of this course!

I started this journey curious, and I finish more aware of AI’s strengths and limits. I learned to think critically, not just use it. I still want to explore its role in education and creativity responsibly.

I appreciated how each step highlighted a different topic or perspective. I also discovered new AI tools like Co-Pilot and Google Gems, which I plan to explore alongside ChatGPT. Overall, my stance on AI hasn’t changed much since the start, though I already had some experience from attending a few classes, so I’d consider myself an intermediate user.

I remain concerned about AI’s impact on the art world and the value of graphic design. At the same time, I appreciate having a tool that helps me with tasks outside my strengths. For me, AI will remain just that, a tool to support my work, not a creator in its own right.

While I remain an AI skeptic, I have seen the ability of tools differs from what I initially thought. I haven’t used AI for a while since I began this activity, and now I’ve seen all of the improvements made to the models and all of the fine-tuning they have. Nonetheless, I am still very poignant about avoiding it for serious projects, and concerned over its application in places such as therapy, or as an emotional reliance.

I’m not an addict or skeptic – just recognizing that this is part of our life now and trying to figure out how to best integrate into it. I do believe that there is value in Gen AI and I am excited to implement it further. I think for me the most valuable section was the image generation, which I haven’t played around much with until now.

I’m not an advocate, but I think I am a generous skeptic now. I feel curious, and am disposed to think curiously about the new is a good thing. I want us to stop fearing and anthropomorphizing this tool that is part of our reality, and I want us to make informed decisions about how it impacts our environment, brains, creativity and the arts, and how it can be used ethically. I appreciate how this series has given a completely novice user of AI a place to start and to understand this tool better. Thank you to everyone involved! I am hopeful that I will be able to interact with AI in the future in a balanced, knowledgeable way that is not blinded by fear.

I am most curious about the field of AI ethics, and AI ethicists, and I’d love to learn how to become one. Policies that surround the implementation of AI at a variety of institutions are going to determine whether this tool is something for the greater good or something that will cause harm.

I have definitely learned a few things. I was curious about image generation, but hadn’t thought about using AI to generate alt text. That will be very helpful in the future. The gems are something that weren’t on my radar at all. I think for me, the image generation and alt text will be where I focus in the near future. Overall, I still consider myself, perhaps, half-way between a critic and a neutral feeling about it. Thanks for putting together this course!

I appreciated learning about the wide variety of tools available and the variety of use cases. I had not considered, for example, generating alt text which seems like it could be a great foundation for ensuring images have useful alt text. I am skeptical of a lot of use cases as it can really struggle with hallucinations and I find proofreading more tiresome than just doing the thing myself most of the time. But as the technology continues to improve, it is important to stay alert and plugged in, to know what is possible and what to look out for!

I very much appreciate your initiative, and think I got familiarized with a plethora of resources. Unfortunately, I did not have time to look at them closely and put to a good use yet, but will definitely try in the nearest future.

Before starting, I was intimidated by AI: I had always knack for understanding technology and AI made me doubt that fact. I’ve learned so much about AI during these lessons and have even shared some of what I’ve learned in my team meetings. My guess is that I’m not the only one who’s been sharing how much the lessons have helped me learn. I hope there is another offering so that those who have heard about it but weren’t able to participate can do so in the future. I’m still curious about how I can use AI tools to help with some projects that will help efficiency in my department. I guess I’d say I’m an AI advocate, as long as I can continue to fact check the information provided from any AI tool.