I’ve never been a quick sell. Since I can remember, I’ve always had a sober and thoughtful approach to the “hot new thing”. The fear of missing out has never been an issue for me. When friends rushed to Prepaid Legal, I suggested that retaining the services of any local attorney would be more beneficial. When the Organo Gold coffee and tea hustle surged, to the bewilderment of friends and family, I offered that they could achieve more of an economic benefit by actually working part-time at Starbucks. When former student of mine reached out to me regarding my thoughts on the various crypto coins and NFT’s, I suggested that he keep working and put any of his extra income into an IRA. I think you get my point.
When ChatGPT emerged, many pundits predicted a total disruption in all fields, including education. These jokers predicted, among other things, that if teachers and schools didn't adapt quickly, then education, as we know it, would be doomed! As a business and marketing teacher, I know a high pressure sales tactic when I hear it! LOL!
In order to understand ChatGPT’s capacity for disruption, we first have to understand what it is and what it isn’t. What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is a Large Language Model (LLM). Large Language Models are algorithms that can generate text from massive datasets. What ChatGPT isn’t? Chat ChapGPT isn't sentient or intelligent. Full stop!
Since ChatGPT is an LLM, then we can expect it to generate words from datasets based on specific queries. Sometimes the words that these queries generate are pure gibberish. Other times, the words may match, but out of the blue a sentence is formed that is not based on what is real, historical, or true.
I’m not suggesting that there is no value in ChatGPT. Far from it! I think the technology can add value in certain areas of real estate, law, and education. For instance, using the technology to help create real estate contracts, help create drafts of motions, or help create more engaging classroom lessons could prove beneficial. What I am suggesting is that the competent human being should be at the core of this value add.
As improvements are made to ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI, resists the fear of missing out and take a more sober and thoughtful approach the “hot new thing”. Don’t take any wooden nickels.
Raghib Muhammad us an innovator, thinker, and educator.
