Monday Notes: AI

Recently, I used Lensa to generate some artificial intelligence (AI) photos. I’d seen a couple of celebrities do it and thought why not?

So, I uploaded 15 photos, and two hours later these appeared.

They’re beautiful, right? I was amazed. It was mystifying to see how the app captured my spirit. How these photos look is how I feel on the inside. I perceive myself as a powerful being who can do anything to which I set my mind, and these computer-generated images illustrated it.

That’s scary.

I was so amazed with these photos that I almost cancelled my photoshoot. Why do I need to pay someone hundreds of dollars if AI can create a perfect looking me? I wondered. Don’t worry. I didn’t cancel. But I did consider it.

“These are stunning,” a blogger friend commented after seeing this set in my IG stories. “Did you have someone commission them for you?”

This person, who I admire as an intelligent being thought an artist had drawn these, that I’d paid thousands of dollars to have someone draw these! That’s how perfect they appear.

That’s scary, and I think we need to be more aware of what AI can do and how it will change our lives.

For example, I read an article on The Atlantic about ChatGPT, a type of AI that not only writes essays, but also synthesizes information. That first part isn’t a big deal. That last part…is the beginning of the end for a lot of things, namely, English teachers and the types of assignments they create. The author interviewed Derek Thompson, another staff writer, about ChatGPT.  

Thompson explained how life changing this app is, and as a former English teacher, I agree with his points. In the past, it was obvious when a student plagiarized essays. There were tells, like using a larger vocabulary or writing phrases that didn’t sound like them; the tone was off. Well, ChatGPT mirrors the person’s writing style, which thus far has been challenging for other programs.

As an editor, this part is a bit scary, too. Will my business be threatened because scholars can upload their work to ChatGPT, which will write a flawless thesis that sounds just like them? Maybe not today, but eventually in the near future, I’m confident in the possibilities.

So, here’s my concern. We’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of pickle over the past century or so because we innovate, without considering the unintended consequences of technology. For example, computers make things a lot easier, but many Americans are more sedentary due to sitting for long periods of time. Social media is a tool used for connection, but depending on how you use it, you may feel less connected to friends and family.

As a member of Gen X, I’ve watched technology evolve, and I understand how an initial fascination with these types of things can leave us awe-struck. In the past, all we had were sci-fi novels to warn us about some futuristic made-up consequence. Now, though, we have wisdom and experience. We don’t have to wait for the next George Orwell or Octavia Butler to warn us about the ills of fake, dystopian societies. We can see what’s happening in real time. Because we can see what’s happening, we can change what’s happening. We can do something now, even if it’s as small as weighing the possibilities and considering ethics. AI creators don’t have to be in control; we can be in control.

Here’s one last story. One of my former colleagues used ChatGPT to create a course syllabus as a test, just to see what would happen. Guess what? It was perfect. She shared on social media how the app developed an ideal syllabus for a young adult literature class, with a course objective, appropriate readings, and assignments with a grading scale.

That’s nutz, and I think we should all be a bit worried about how our futures could look if we allow AI to take the wheel.

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