GenAI
The Beast Emerging Among Us
As a child I was afraid of a monster under my bed, thinking I could cover up with blankets and be safe from it. As an adult, I no longer fear monsters lurking beneath my bed or in the bedroom closet. What does concern me is the real appearance of generative artificial intelligence, the beast emerging among us.
My Mysterious Mind
Every day since returning from the holiday break there has been at least one conversation in my world about the same topic: artificial intelligence, or AI. Most of the dialogue is about one type of artificial intelligence, specifically generative text AI. College students are increasingly making use of products such as ChatGPT to write assignments for them. GPT, which stands for Generative Pretrained Transformer, is just one of a family of bots that use large language models to create text that mimics human conversation. And these Chatbots are just one type of generative AI being used as shortcuts to human productivity. I should add that generative AI is just a subset of a much larger group of artificial intelligence products. Even Substack offers an AI to suggest better ways for me to write. I usually ignore it.
I first saw ChatGPT demonstrated in March 2023, less than two years ago. Before that time, I was oblivious to generative text AI, blissfully so. Since then, I have attended several professional development sessions and webinars on generative text AI, including one this week offered for faculty by a major textbook publisher. I learned how students are using generative AI, such as creating images, which the presenter included in her PowerPoint presentation. She also described the various ways professors are responding to such artificial intelligence usage, from complete rejection to incorporation within instruction and assignments. At first, I thought the images she included were incredible, but, by the end, I was totally creeped out. This was artwork made by a computer, not by humans. I had previously seen ChatGPT write poetry and song lyrics. That creativity was intriguing to me, but images pushed me into discomfort.
I teach in a doctoral program in education. My students are expected to be able to think, write, and talk at an advanced level, drawing on the work of previous scholars. Where does a tool, such as ChatGPT, belong in the bag of tools used by such educational leaders? Some attorneys who have used AI to write legal documents have been found to have offered falsified cases within those documents; this happens because generative text AI sometimes “hallucinates” and fabricates content. I discovered this in a student’s dissertation proposal this week. The student referred to something from a textbook I know extremely well, a term that isn’t included in that textbook.
Conversations about generative text AI usually go in two directions. First, concerns are raised about the “dumbing down” of human capabilities. Large language models use human-generated text available on the Internet to create “new” compositions. If computer-generated text increases and human-generated text decreases, the archive of available language from which to draw gets more idiotic, not smarter. The second direction these conversations lead is into concerns about academic integrity. When students fabricate work and pass it on as their own work, that is dishonest. In my university’s academic integrity policy, such fabrication can result in failure for a course or, in more extreme cases, dismissal from the academic program.
On the other hand, should education embrace these AI tools and help students learn how to use them appropriately? This is where the topic becomes extremely uncomfortable for me. To help my students learn how to use GenAI would mean that I have to know how to use it. I don’t want to use artificial intelligence to supplant my actual intelligence. The expertise I have developed only came from traveling the long, slow path. I didn’t get here by taking any shortcuts. I really don’t want to take the hand of the beast and have it travel with me.
Message of Mystery Acres
The work to be done in the forest is mostly authentic. I can’t ask Alexa to treat the gravel road for weed prevention. Preparing a fire or collecting trash at day’s end are physical activities accomplished without artificial intelligence. My husband might consult the internet for information about upcoming weather patterns, so we know how to prepare. I’ve used Google Maps to pinpoint marker trees I discover in the surrounding acreage. In all of these cases, technology is a tool to accomplish a task, not a means to replace the human factor.
When I relax in the hammock with my journal, I don’t want to ask GenAI to tell me what I should be thinking about. I learned at this week’s webinar that some people use GenAI to give them advice, such as, “I’m nervous about my presentation, what should I do?” I can’t imagine asking a Chatbot to counsel me or coach me. Isn’t that what people are for?
In a recent conversation about generative AI, the suggestion was made that soon products will be viewed as higher quality if they are verified as “human-made.” Our libraries are full of “human-made” books, our museums are archives of “human-made” art and artifacts. What happens to the reservoir of human creativity when artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent? Do human products become obsolete...or more precious?
The message of Mystery Acres is a cry for authenticity in what humans are, do, and create. As I rest in the peace of the forest, I love the slowness of it all. Our modern lives are being changed by accelerating shifts in technology that have progressed more rapidly than our human capacity to cope with its impacts. Pausing in the forest helps to recognize the rushed momentum of technology in our lives. Do we have technology, or does technology have us?
Ancient Mystery’s Voice
“Daniel had a vision of four beasts... The first one .... had the mind of a human.” (see Daniel 7:4).
The prophet Daniel is best known for his survival in the lion’s den, thrown there by a king who wanted to be worshipped above all others. The book about Daniel also includes some visions he had of future events. Recently, I have been intrigued by his vision of four beasts that emerge from the sea (see Daniel chapter seven). The first of these beasts is described as having the mind, or in some translations the heart, of a man.
John, who wrote Revelation, also had visions of beasts. In the thirteenth chapter, one of those beasts is described as captivating the whole world, who was filled with wonder and followed the beast. The beasts seen by Daniel and those seen by John all emerged from the sea, which is a symbol of the troubled, fallen world in which humans live. In both prophesies, the beasts are defeated by Jesus Christ, though the language used to portray that victory is also highly symbolic.
I don’t know or assert that these two visions are about the same thing, but both visions suggest the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Daniel described a beast with the mind of a man. About half of the translations use the heart instead of mind. The original Hebrew is ambiguous. I’m guessing Daniel didn’t know what words to use to capture what he saw in his vision. If he was talking about something equipped with artificial intelligence, how would he possibly describe it?
John’s depiction of beasts includes the element of awe filling those who witnessed them. I have watched this reaction through several waves of technology including home computers, email, the Internet, smartphones, and social media. In each, my adoption of such technology has been slower than many of my peers. I watched my friends get smartphones and observed how stupid they became in social and professional settings. After a few years I got my own smartphone but never added email to it, having seen the intrusion of email into the moment-by-moment lives of those I love. For a while I had Facebook on my smartphone, but I removed it five years ago.
You see I enjoy having tools, but I don’t want my tools to have me. No matter the tool, wisdom calls for discretion and critical thinking in its use. Like hammers, tools can be incredibly useful. Like hammers, tools can be terribly dangerous. Ancient Mystery’s voice provides a cautionary message, admonishing us to slow down and not be like the world who is filled with wonder and blindly follows the technology trends.
Living in Mystery
What does it mean to live in the mystery of generative AI, the beast that is emerging among us? First it means recognizing the beast for who or what it is, and for what it isn’t. I decided to use ChatGPT for the first time to write this piece. I asked ChatGPT for five reasons to use it. The response was Instant Assistance, 24/7 Availability, Versatile Capabilities, Improved Efficiency, and Customizable Interactions. (I removed the descriptions of each)
I then asked ChatGPT for five reasons not to use it. Here are those reasons (with shortened descriptions):
Lack of Human Judgment: ChatGPT doesn’t have the nuanced understanding or emotional intelligence that humans bring to decision-making and complex issues.
Occasional Inaccuracies: ChatGPT can sometimes generate incorrect or misleading answers, especially on specialized or up-to-date topics.
Dependence on Technology: Relying on ChatGPT might reduce critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Privacy Concerns: There’s a potential risk of data security or privacy issues, depending on how interactions are handled and stored.
Limited Creativity in Complex Tasks: ChatGPT may fall short when it comes to highly creative, innovative, or emotionally-driven tasks that require human touch and originality.
There are many other AI tools to consider, but let’s just focus on one for now. GenAI, the beast emerging among us, can make provide a versatile, constantly and immediately available, means to get something done. What it provides doesn’t have human judgment, trustworthy products, or human creativity. It also might impair critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while putting personal privacy at risk.
Generative AI is a new set of tools with serious limitations and risks of use. This beast has crept up from the depths and into our modern lives. Personally, I’d like to send it back where it came from, asserting the value of taking the long, slow way to human productivity. Sadly, there is no putting this genie back into the bottle. Like other potentially addictive, human-capacity-limiting technologies, this latest phase cannot be defeated and should not be ignored. Instead, wise humans should proceed with extreme caution in putting these tools into their tool bags.
For me, I am going to be slow to adopt generative AI into my life. I am not willing to diminish human judgment, risk false content, become dependent, risk my privacy, or limit my creativity. I want to celebrate actual intelligence, my own and that of others, and not settle for something artificial. I recognize the beast emerging among us, but I hope to keep it at bay in my own life.
For immediate and continuous support, I prefer to call out to God for help or reach out to a friend. To improve my efficiency, I try to get enough sleep and remain focused and calm. For customizable interactions I have friendships with diverse people, each of whom has something unique to offer into my life. Sometimes I might need a hammer, but, for now, I don’t need generative artificial intelligence to improve my life or achieve my goals. I’d like to keep it “old school,” using actual intelligence, not the machine-generated version. I encourage you to do the same as I’m not sure we can trust the beast emerging among us.
Connecting with Mystery
Dear Lord of All Mystery, I confess to wanting immediate attention and solutions and being tempted by what generative AI can provide. Help me to value the intelligence, compassion, and creativity you designed in humans and to seek those qualities in others, not in technology. Remind me to turn to You or the people in my life when I need support, not to grab my phone or other device. Thank You for creating me for real connections with real people and bringing me into closer community with others and with You. Amen.
Notes from Dr. Mac
If you want to do your own investigation of any of the scriptures I use, I suggest you go to Bible Gateway. This free online version of the Bible allows a search of words or phrases in various translations. I suggest you ponder the prophesies in the book of Daniel or Revelation, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal what you are to learn or apply from them.
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