I remember very clearly, to the time in high school when we were finally allowed the use of calculators (Note to Lar: a calculator is a modern day abacus). 

Our teacher said we could use these high tech devices for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Why now, I thought? Why couldn’t we have used these years ago? It saves a ridiculous amount of time and everyone knows that long division is stupid. 

I was grateful, but annoyed that we couldn’t use the device made for this specific task when we were learning these skills. 

It’s obvious now, of course, that we had to learn the skills first, before being allowed to access the tech. I knew how to add, the calculator just did it faster and more efficiently. But I could do it. 

I feel that’s where we are with AI Chatbot these days. 

People are using them for things they don’t know how to do, and have no intention of learning. It’s a short cut to the answer, without any comprehension of how to get there on your own.

I was reading an article this morning on the BBC that articulates this issue far better than I can, and I urge you to give it a read and understand another very real danger to mass usage of AI. 

And thank you, my high school math teacher, for making us wait on the calculator thing. 

-sohmer