Tag Archives: AI

student blogs

Unpacking the Debate: Can AI Writing Tools Capture Voice in Writing?

Photo by Thomas Lefebvre on Unsplash

For our pathfinding session this week, Maya and I have created a lesson focused on student discussions. Our presentation will touch closely on the ability of AI writing tools and the capabilities of producing meaningful writing in the aspect of voice.

The creation and use of AI writing tools have increased significantly in the current era of artificial intelligence. Although these tools are made to help writers create excellent content faster, there is some controversy over whether AI writing tools can produce work that is significant in terms of voice.

The concept of voice in writing relates to the individuality of the writer’s style, tone, and personality. It is what sets one author’s work apart from another. Some contend that the output of AI writing tools can seem unnatural or generic since they are unable to capture the subtleties of speech.

The purpose of language is to convey reality and establish a relational connection with other people. AI may be able to generate text, but it cannot engage in real communication because it is not interested in reality and lacks a mutual commitment to truth. AI-generated writing cannot replace human writing, because it does not have the interpersonal and personal element that makes it uniquely human.

Maya and I will thoroughly examine this problem and lead student debates on it during our pathfinding session. We want to help our peers build a greater grasp of the role of AI in the writing profession by fostering critical thinking and reflection in them. We think that this lesson will give our peers an excellent chance to participate in worthwhile debates and deepen their understanding of this crucial subject.

student blogs

The Limits of AI and the Value of Human Creativity

The article Technology Makes us More Human by Reid Hoffman discusses the different perspectives on the potential impact of ChatGPT, an AI system that can hold human-like conversations. Some people see it as a tool for revolutionizing various industries and creating opportunities for personal fulfillment, while others fear it will lead to job displacement and dehumanization. Hoffman, who sits on the board of OpenAI and co-founded LinkedIn, sees ChatGPT and other technological innovations as a way to improve human progress and empower individuals. He argues that technology is what makes us human and that the values and aspirations we build into technology shape its outcomes. While acknowledging the potential for negative outcomes, he calls for a techno-humanist perspective that seeks to use technology for broad human benefit and envisions a future of human flourishing.

I enjoyed reading through Hoffman’s perspective, especially when he mentions, 

“What defines humanity is not just our unusual level of intelligence, but also how we capitalize on that intelligence by developing technologies that amplify and complement our mental, physical, and social capacities. If we merely lived up to our scientific classification—Homo sapiens—and just sat around thinking all day, we’d be much different creatures than we actually are. A more accurate name for us is Homo techne: humans as toolmakers and tool users. The story of humanity is the story of technology. Technology is the thing that makes us us. Through the tools we create, we become neither less human nor superhuman, nor post-human. We become more human.” 

Reid Hoffman, (2023) https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/chatgpt-ai-technology-techo-humanism-reid-hoffman/672872/

Technology has played a crucial role in defining and shaping humanity as we know it today. From the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel to the creation of modern computers and artificial intelligence, our development and use of technology have allowed us to expand our knowledge, enhance our capabilities, and improve our quality of life. Technology has become an inseparable part of our humanity because it has allowed us to overcome our limitations and reach greater heights, and as we continue to develop new technologies, we will continue to evolve and grow. 

That being so, going back to the point I mentioned in my blog post last week. I am not too worried about AI being a threat to writers. While Chat GPT can make the writing process effortless, it shouldn’t be looked upon as a replacement for a writer’s voice and creative input. Instead, it should be looked upon as, for example, when writers experience writer’s block and are looking for that bridge to help connect and identify what ideas they want to come next. It should be used as a tool to help guide writers in the direction they want to go. I believe that the purpose of language is to convey reality and establish a relational connection with other people. AI may be able to generate text and pretty sentences, but it cannot engage in real communication because it is not interested in reality and lacks a mutual commitment to truth. AI-generated writing cannot replace human writing, because it does not have the interpersonal and personal element that makes it uniquely human.

student blogs

Educators, AI, and (my) Anxiety

The articles this week did not help my ever growing anxieties about AI. Alberto Romero article opened up some new avenues of anxiety. I had only thought of ChatGPT assisting human on writing, grammar, essay prompts, (bad) poetry, and then he started to list off the other AI programs being created by: google, facebook, the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI). He even went as far as claiming ChatGPT as OBSOLETE. With the speed that AI is upgraded, how far have these programs progresses since this article’s publication date (Aug 7, 2021).

 It may not replace us from being writers, but the price of our work would decrease significantly, even if the value we produce is constant.

Alberto Romero

This quote struck at my creative anxiety hard, (the wine im drinking isn’t helping) because if the ease of creating articles and essays with AI making established writers uncomfortable, imagine how I am feeling, a novice attempting to enter the medium of publishing my own thoughts and creative endeavors. If someone can just have AI write for them and just “edit” their voice in what chance is there for me who wants to organically create. It doesn’t help that Romero ends the article with personifying AI and suggesting that we befriend it, rather than use it sparingly or intelligently or anything other way that doesn’t attempt to give it life.

in Erik Ofgang article Free AI Writing Tools Can Write Essays in Minutes. What Does That Mean for Teachers? he directs the anxiety to the Pedagogical field, a field im reluctant to join but its not out of the question. In it he relates the usage of AI to plagiarism. Which is the right direction in my opinion, however how can you identify AI writing when its being used in conjunction with the student. Like I mentioned above, you can edit your voice in to the writings it generates. Ofgang cites an op-ed in The Guardian which suggest repositories where papers can be checked for plagiarism and restrictions and age-verification systems but these are surface level restrictions only meant to limit misuse. I can think of several way of bypassing these systems which I wont go into.

MINI RANT

Ofgang ends the article with a AI generated passage and a comment “it may not win a Pulitzer but it’s probably good enough to get a good grade“. Therein lies the rub. Students who regularly enlist the help of AI are doing it to cut corners, to not have to do the work and just get the grade. Maybe the importance we place upon grades for accomplishing the task is to blame for this snowball turned avalanche. Students only caring about a getting passing grade rather than genuinely learning the skills necessary to writing proficiently. Who is to blame then? the students utilizing a tool, or the decades of value placed on a outdated grading system.

student blogs

Is the rise of Open AI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, a threat to the livelihoods of human writers?

Photo by Om siva Prakash on Unsplash

For this week’s pathfinding session, the article assigned, Will ChatGPT Replace Human Writers? by Peter Biles, explores whether artificial intelligence (AI) can replace human writers, given the development of technologies like OpenAI’s DALL-E and ChatGPT. Sean Thomas of the Spectator World argues that writers are “screwed” and recommends they quit the craft entirely.

However, Christopher Reid, an academic translator, takes a more balanced approach, suggesting that creative workers will “post-create” by using machines to generate initial ideas that they then refine. However, Reid is concerned about copyright issues and believes AI technicians need to develop a way for human creators to receive dividends when AI mimics their work. The article then goes on to question the reductionist view that writing is merely “algorithmic,” as language serves a two-fold purpose: to convey reality and establish a relational connection with others. Bile suggests that the personal and conversational element of language makes it uniquely human and that AI may never be able to replace human creativity. While AI can generate facts and pretty sentences, it cannot engage in dialogue and lacks a mutual commitment to reality. 

Some critics, such as Sean Thomas, argue that AI will soon be able to outperform human writers in all areas. He suggests that writers should quit the craft entirely, as computers will do it better. However, the article challenges this view, arguing that writing is not simply an automated algorithmic process. The purpose of language is to convey reality and establish a relational connection with other people. AI may be able to generate text, but it cannot engage in real communication because it is not interested in reality and lacks a mutual commitment to truth. AI-generated writing cannot replace human writing, because it does not have the interpersonal and personal element that makes it uniquely human.

The article notes that AI will reduce the cognitive load of creating, allowing creative workers to post-create instead of create. A machine can generate an initial idea, and the artist or writer can then tinker with it to produce a final product. However, the article also raises concerns about copyright issues, particularly for artists, and calls for AI technicians to develop a way for human creators to receive dividends when AI mimics their work.

While AI has an impact on creative work, it will not replace human writers and artists. Instead, the impact is somewhere in the middle, where AI can aid and complement human creativity but never be able to replicate the personal and interpersonal nature of human communication.

student blogs

Importance of voice

i spent a lot of the time in my head. my inner monologue could rival prince hamlet. so when i write my thoughts, and emotions pour out so much it hard NOT to see my voice. In my writing it is quintessential that every word flows into the next, like a paper airplane through the the air, straight & to the point yet impactful, or calmingly guiding you to the end goal like floating on a river feeling every molecule of water connect with your being.

High school vs College

I wrote that high school was a prison with walls made of rules and guidelines that must be followed obediently, while everyone is looking at you; its a factory line implanting information hour after hour to spit out obedient robots into the world.

College, on the other hand, feels like freedom regained (thanks Milton for the inspiration). Yes there are still deadline and guidelines that we are taught, but we’re told to go and find the answer. Find the answers other have found and compare them to yours.

“you’re given the reins to your own education/knowledge”

Me

I don’t recall what ChatGPT said but I’m sure I can recreate it instantly. The answer it gave last Thursday is the same as today, and it will be the same until education changes fundamentally.
That’s the one major importance…the fact that if you ask me this question next month the same meaning will be there but it wont be express exactly the same. my voice, like the wind, ever dependent on varying areas of pressure, changes and moves in different directions. Some thing this AI could never hope (if it could ever be programed to hope, hope is the epitome of human emotions) to mimic me.

Mr. McBride I used to sell your books.

That may sound like I was walking the streets, selling books to anyone interested in a lil knowledge trip… but I used to work at a bookstore [it’s commonly known, its name a homage to farm life and nobility]. One of my daily tasks was to access the company’s HUB of upcoming books and bestsellers. When Deacon King Kong was released i read its synopses and did my duty, selling copies with vague understandings of what was actually written. Call me cynical, but not much is needed for a 10 min max interaction with a customer who needs to be persuaded one way or another.

Mr.Mcbride you said that being cynical creates negative work and one who is cynical cannot be a creative writer. Does this you mean you see less value in cynical works regardless of their outcomes?

I personally find cynicism to be a great way to prompt the philosophical question… why?

student blogs

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Human Touch in Writing

Photo by Hussein Abdullah on Unsplash


The rise of AI tools, specifically OpenAI’s Chat GPT chatbot, has led to the development of various writing-assistive technologies, such as autocompleting sentences and grammar checkers, making the writing process faster and more efficient. However, there is concern that the increased reliance on these tools may negatively affect a writer’s voice, which is the unique personality and style that sets a writer’s work apart. While AI tools can certainly make the writing process effortless, they shouldn’t be looked upon as a replacement for a writer’s voice and creative input.

After our discussion last week about the importance of voice in writing, I can say that a downside of AI tools is their lack of comprehension of the material they generate. Artificial intelligence has mastered the technical aspects of language, such as syntax, but has no understanding of meaning and voice in writing. It also cannot link concepts with personal experiences and for humans, language becomes functional when we connect words with context.

Voice is a crucial aspect of writing as it represents the unique perspective, style, and tone. It is the personality that the writer imbues into the text, making it distinct from other works. Voice can convey emotions, opinions, and attitudes, which can impact a reader’s experience of the text. It can also help to establish a connection between the writer and the reader, creating a sense of intimacy and engagement. The voice in writing establishes the author’s credibility, builds trust, and shapes the reader’s perception of the author’s message.

Voice is what ultimately makes writing personal, memorable, and impactful.

student blogs

AI among humanity

The very concept of Artificial Intelligence itself is an outworldly thing. Autonomous Vehicles, Nigh-sentient artificial personalities, everyday facial recognition, the reality of technology being used it everyday situations, all of this sounds like a millennial’s out-of-reach fantasy of the future. But it’s no longer a thing of our predictions of the far future, it’s a part of today’s reality. At least in the form of facial recognition and daily technology use.

Watching the PBS documentary has made me think about the usage of AI in the present day. I honestly cannot see how most mass systems will implement artificial intelligence in ways that will benefit society. Watching the beginning of the doc where everyone in China was using facial recognition and smartphones had me seeing just how much we all use technology in today’s age. But it also has me asking important questions.

How do people who struggle with using technological systems maneuver this kind of society? This doc makes it seem that China is so much more technologically advanced than majority of the world. But my questions applies to the rest of the world just as much as it does to China.

The idea of law enforcement using AI to enact survelliance is a genuine concern of people. The use of AI to publicly shame and even fine people for minor “offenses” such as jaywalking, accidentally dropping something on the ground, or any other minor offense is an inhumane one. This would never be done to catch police committing violence against a citizen. They would never do this to protect victims of violence and harassment, or to protect against discrimination, but they would definitely do this for something as miniscule as jaywalking.

On the flipside, there are genuine positives to AI. Having the algorithm automatically organize itself for someone’s personal feed frees them of the need to do it themself. Saving personal legal records so they don’t get lost is something that Ai can do. Saving pictures, memories, creative content, documents, and other information is a good thing AI can do. If digital technicians were to focus on these needs over automated vehicles and online surveillance then I would have more confidence in the future of Artificial Intelligence.

Honestly, I look at the 2016 Facebook election experiment, the genuine investment in autonomous driving vehicles, and the mass surveillance and information stealing from people online, and I have severe concerns about how artificial intelligence will be used in destructive ways. When Facebook enacted an experiment to encourage people to go out and vote they showed just how much influence they have on the public. But, since Facebook is a place where misinformation flourishes at a high frequency, this just paints a picture of just how voters were influenced to vote. I can easily guess who 99% of Facebook voters voted for, the policies they supported, and the ethics they cared about. None of them are good.

Real people cannot and should be replaced by artificial personalities. When I watched the section where the truck drivers were worried about not getting paid, it shows just how bad of an idea autonomous driving is. Why would an AI not become a certified killer?

student blogs

Welcome back faithful HUMAN reader

“I’ve only slept comfortably with the worst person in my arms”

That quote was started by a friend of mine, I added the rest. It was said as a snarky remark. To you, it might seem like I’m being an ass but he hollered with laughter, and my smirk quickly became a chuckle and a then full on laughter. Once the laughter subside, I quickly realized the potential of this quote ad franticly wrote it down, exclaiming “I’m absolutely using that in my next poem”.

unknowingly, we had collaborated, we connected, we (me) got inspired…organically. Gero mentions authors hitting writers blocks, and using AI to get the creativity flowing. Which (if I wasn’t such a hater of Ai) would sounds great, having someone(thing) to get you out of those ruts on your time. I cant remember all the times I’ve reached out to my writing peers and have been met with silence due to our conflicting schedules. However, I believe it could not replicate that beautiful quote that was created off a whim. You couldn’t write an algorithm that could replicate our banter. Sure there’s a pattern in my words, & phrases but can that encapsulate me. What I am, how I act, my idiosyncrasies. I found an article about Idiosyncratic Expression but the way it was cemented into my brain was through Good will hunting. When Robin Williams character Sean Maguire is talking about his dead wife farting herself awake. (minute 1:30 if you don’t want yo watch the whole scene).

I think about writing and AI a lot cause well that’s my interest, my creative outlet, and the storm clouds are forming over it. But in the Age of AI they spoke about self driving long haul trucks. Human drivers can legally only drive 11 hours without stopping, so having a self driving 18 wheeler sounds phenomenal. Imagine your amazon package never being late regardless if its coming from NYC or LA. my only response to this is…. have you seen the tesla self driving accidents? Here is one and hey look here another and some statistics (Don’t want to read the long winded government report? here’s a Forbes article). Now imagine a giant Truck on an interstate, malfunctioning. I work for DHL in the receiving department, a bulk of my work depends on these trucks arriving on time and let me tell you, a small flurry of snow sets them back hours.

An exaggerated image? yes. does my point still stand? I’d like to think so.

student blogs

“AI Reveals the Most Human Parts of Writing” By Katy Ilonka Gero

In the article “AI Reveals the Most Human Parts of Writing,” Katy Ilonka Gero discusses the use of Artificial Intelligence during the writing process while reverting to the example given of the woman writing her young adult fantasy novel. It highlights the potential of AI to automate the writing process and generate new forms of creative expression. However, it also acknowledges the limitations of AI in terms of understanding context, emotion, and meaning, which are the fundamental elements of human writing. The article concludes that while AI can assist with the writing process, it is unlikely to replace human authors.

I certainly agree with Gero’s statement when she states, “My hope is that computer-generated text gives more people the chance to say what they want to say, to enact their own vision, whether that be through a system helping them with planning, drafting, revising, or something else entirely. I don’t think we’ll be seeing fully computer-generated books out-competing human authors any time soon—not because computers won’t be capable, but because I think we will, for a long time, be far more interested in what a person has to say.”

I believe the usage of AI tools should be, for example, when writers experience writer’s block and are looking for that bridge to help connect and identify what ideas they want to come next. It should be used as a tool to help guide writers in the direction they are going. However, with pros always come cons. It is crucial that we not allow AI systems to gear us away from the direction we want to go, meaning if these systems are not used effectively as a tool to help during the writing process, this is where it begins to get tricky because we risk the AI tool changing what the writer sets out to achieve and as Gero mentions, “Writers may start to wonder whether their vision is getting muddied by an entity that lacks any experience with the real world.”

student blogs

Howdy

my name is Erik not eric, I am an aspiring poet , writer and (potentially, possibly maybe, perhaps) an educator for higher Education. I love to read and write poetry and create fantasy worlds. [world building is fun and not stressful at all]. a few of my favorite things to do are Bouts-rimés, watch criterion movies, collect rare books, and hand write letters to my friends which I send through the USPS (basically archaic i know but who doesn’t like receiving physical mail)

I’m present myself as a very calm and collected person, but in my mind I am freaking out 66% of the time, 23% of the time I’m cracking jokes that only I would think are funny, and the rest of the stressing about deadlines. It’s a mess but its functional, i like to think of it as controlled chaos like this .

I’m extremely excited & terrified to be in Grad school after being out of school for 5 years. I got my undergrad from… Kean in English Literature. So I’m Doubling down on the Kean Degrees.

put on your tinfoil hats everyone

I am [internally] terrified of AI, and rightfully so. AI that’s programed to learn and grow seems so far off, but human innovation doesn’t rest, it keeps progressing whether you want it or not. Eventually, we’ll reach this, or this. I’m over exaggerating for dramatic effect, but we are in the early stages of AI and creatives Educators and academics have yet to figure out if it will hinder or help.