Clippy had an ancestor, Microsoft BOB, who was supposed to be a friendly assistant in Windows 3.1. People hated BOB. Microsoft seems to have ideas that it will refuse entirely to give up on, ever. Remember Tay?
Thanks for subscribing to ltRRtl, Brent. I enjoyed reading this piece. You highlight a key issue. I believe that part of the reason it’s so easy for kids to perceive bots as humans is that kids have been dehumanized in classrooms. Is it possible to read a textbook that you know contains authoritative answers you’ll be tested on as a human with interests and purposes of your own. I remember my first experiences with OpenAI3.5. It seemed mechanical and stylistically strange to me from the first chat and hasn’t really shown itself to be more than a digital tool. I do think your point is well made. Teachers have a real opportunity here to talk about what it means to be human in a classroom. Many academic norms are under threat when such talks begin. Let the games begin.
Really interesting point, Terry thanks for sharing. There can certainly be a dehumanizing effect in the classroom thanks to the tension between one’s own interests and the textbooks that serve other interests potentially, I agree.
Clippy had an ancestor, Microsoft BOB, who was supposed to be a friendly assistant in Windows 3.1. People hated BOB. Microsoft seems to have ideas that it will refuse entirely to give up on, ever. Remember Tay?
Haha I don’t but I’ll be looking into it, I’m curious now
Thanks for subscribing to ltRRtl, Brent. I enjoyed reading this piece. You highlight a key issue. I believe that part of the reason it’s so easy for kids to perceive bots as humans is that kids have been dehumanized in classrooms. Is it possible to read a textbook that you know contains authoritative answers you’ll be tested on as a human with interests and purposes of your own. I remember my first experiences with OpenAI3.5. It seemed mechanical and stylistically strange to me from the first chat and hasn’t really shown itself to be more than a digital tool. I do think your point is well made. Teachers have a real opportunity here to talk about what it means to be human in a classroom. Many academic norms are under threat when such talks begin. Let the games begin.
Really interesting point, Terry thanks for sharing. There can certainly be a dehumanizing effect in the classroom thanks to the tension between one’s own interests and the textbooks that serve other interests potentially, I agree.