The Plague of Artificial Intelligence

Education Secretary/wrestling maven Linda McMahon called A.I., “A One.” Yes, A1 like the steak sauce. It’s the only thing I’ve heard from her that I like.

I suspect I’m in the minority, but I haven’t the least bit of interest in artificial intelligence or its faddish bedfellow, Chatbot whatever. I suppose there is some clever code writing involved in both enterprises, but the genius of this technology is overblown.

I’ll leave it to others to debate the proximity A.I. has reached to human intelligence. Or how closely it can mimic human language and various forms of expression. But even in its most impressive feats it can only arrange or rearrange the data in its garbage can. As the old saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. A few searches, ironically aided by A.I., can provide any number of hilarious examples of A.I. drawing mistaken conclusions that a modestly attentive middle-schooler could catch.

The environmental ramifications are increasingly serious, as A.I. is an energy glutton and also requires “mining for materials like cobalt, silicon, and rare earth elements, leading to soil erosion and pollution.” (Got that quote from A.I.!) Lots of nasty emissions too.

For quite a while I’ve viewed artificial intelligence with vague disdain. I’ve refrained from writing about it because I hadn’t fully identified the source of my irritation. Like everyone else, I use it incidentally in Google searches where A.I. algorithms distill gazillions of petabytes into a few simple paragraphs. But at its core, the “magic” is still zeros and ones, not some new intellectual magnificence.

But with the incursion into education, the source of my irritation and disdain has become crystal clear. Like all technology, artificial intelligence has no heart.

The latest education fad is using A.I. instead of teachers. A New York Times piece reported on the Alpha Schools, poised to spread across the country like an airborne virus. These schools use A.I. to teach basic subjects and then, “The remaining hours rely on A.I. and an adult ‘guide,’ not a teacher, to help students develop practical skills in areas such as entrepreneurship, public speaking and financial literacy.”

No heart. When I think of the qualities I most value in life - in other humans - none of them are developed, enhanced or appreciated by artificial intelligence: No humor, passion, compassion, empathy, imagination, eccentricity, originality, ethical sensibility, integrity, or the capacity to love deeply and to be profoundly moved by art and nature.

These things are what give life meaning, define what it is to be alive and fully sentient. Artificial intelligence is not termed “artificial” for nothing, This is just a fancier iteration of what I’ve screamed for several decades: “The digital representation of life is not the same as life itself!”

Can A.I. “instruct” children in some basic skills? Sure. But those skills, including mathematics and reading, are apprehended in a deeper, more durable way through human give and take, leaving time and space for argument, experiment, interpretation and more. Everything, including mathematical concepts, can be understood through various sensory channels. A.I. is flat, linear and boring.

Most of all, every hour spent sitting with A.I. and its “guides” is an hour not spent playing outside, daydreaming, working out playground relationships, drawing weird pictures that A.I. couldn’t even decipher, learning to play an instrument, dancing, building towers that improbably stand, catching bugs . . . add your own.

Education should be about curiosity and discovery, not instruction and skill acquisition. Children exposed to the beauty in the world will want - need - to learn about it. Children who have small adventures will be fascinated by large adventures. Children who hear a Bach Cantata will want to learn how to make that kind of glorious sound. Children who build towers with blocks may want to learn to design skyscrapers. Children who are encouraged to read whatever they wish will want to write their own stories.

When passions are ignited, they will learn all the skills they need. As an educator, I saw this constantly.

This A.I. stuff is all about the money, as were the iPad, Chromebook, iReady and other tech exploitations.

It’s no wonder the Alpha curriculum fosters “entrepreneurship, public speaking and financial literacy.” That’s the world they care about.

Not I.