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The greatest risk of AI in higher education isn’t cheating – it’s the erosion of learning itself
(theconversation.com)
"We did it, Patrick! We made a technological breakthrough!"
A place for all those who loathe AI to discuss things, post articles, and ridicule the AI hype. Proud supporter of working people. And proud booer of SXSW 2024.
AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.
I think it’s actually just the perception that it’s doing that from people who are so far away from the working that they don’t have any clue.
Like 300 years ago if you wanted to be a sailor maybe you started by rowing oars, or swabbing decks or dealing with ropes and rigging or whatever. If you’re a 19 year old seaman in 2026 you’re probably using a throttle controller that’s 26 different systems disconnected from the actual mechanical work. No one says “oh that guys not a novice seaman” or “the boat literally drives itself hurr”
If you’re a graphic designer in 1970, you’d cut out and hand lay a magazine page out on a big glowing table, page by page, resetting the type so it fit along with giant physical images so you could design the page. In 2026, you’d use Illustrator and lay it out on your computer. No one says “oh the magazines just lay themselves out” or “that’s not how you lay out magazine”. It’s just done with the tools available.
What’s going on is very few people seem to understand the difference between a tool and a solution. A tool is a thing that does something. A hammer is a tool. A solution is something that solves a problem. A hammer is a tool but it is not a good solution for a crying baby. Applying random tools to non-problems does not generate solutions randomly, it just creates even more intractable problems.