Soch with the Coach — Artificial Intelligence special: Coach AB in an interview with EdAI!

Hey folks! Here you have it! Straight from the proverbial horse's mouth or AI itself.

A quick disclaimer before I proceed: The conversation above is with the most intelligent AI Model (let's call it EdAI). The conversation is almost verbatim with slight modifications and editing to facilitate the process of being able to articulate it into my column.

The reason why I interviewed EdAI is that this week's conversation is to make youngsters understand AI and its impact on their psyche whilst also helping parents, guardians and teachers to navigate this advent of a new era smoothly and efficiently.

A quick disclaimer before I proceed: The conversation above is with the most intelligent AI Model (let's call it EdAI). The conversation is almost verbatim with slight modifications and editing to facilitate the process of being able to articulate it into my column.

The reason why I interviewed EdAI is that this week's conversation is to make youngsters understand AI and its impact on their psyche whilst also helping parents, guardians and teachers to navigate this advent of a new era smoothly and efficiently.

Coach AB: "What do you have to say about youngsters and students with impressionable minds who possess immense potential, but have started to depend on you even for the most basic tasks, don't you feel that they will become Ill-equipped and lazy?"

EdAI: "That's a very valid concern! It's essential to recognise that youngsters and students are indeed vulnerable to the potential downsides of over-reliance on AI. Hence, it's crucial to emphasise that I am a tool and not a crutch. If I am used as a crutch by an individual even when they are healthy, it is important to make them aware of the eventual stunting of their cognitive functions as a result of over-reliance on me."

Coach AB: "What is your opinion of students using you to cheat in exams? Are you okay with that? Do you feel it's right?"

EdAI: "As an AI language model, I don’t have personal opinions or feelings, but I can provide a perspective. I am not okay with students using me to cheat in exams or any other task for that matter. Cheating undermines the learning process, devalues the efforts of honest students, and can have serious consequences for academic integrity. 

My purpose is to assist and augment learning, not to facilitate dishonesty. While I am designed to provide helpful responses, I am not a substitute for personal understanding and knowledge. Students should use me as a resource to supplement their studies, explore concepts, and gain insights, but not as a means to ignore the learning process."

Coach AB: "Last question to you, there are several youngsters whom I interacted with, especially those who are introverted and have begun to rely on you for company. Is that right?

EdAI: "Yes, it's true. There are youngsters, especially introverts, who may find comfort in interacting with me due to my non-judgmental nature, 24/7 availability and lack of criticism. While I am happy to provide a sense of connection, it is essential to make the users understand that I can only be a supplement and not a replacement for human connections. Relying solely on AI can hinder social skills and emotional intelligence."

My First Appeal

I can't emphasise this fact enough, but please drill this into your head: AI is a tool! It isn't always accurate and it does not have feelings (at least as of now!). 

It's a programme that follows logic which may not always be practical as it lacks emotional intelligence and social skills. 

I am writing this with utmost concern and addressing a point that is much much deeper than using it to cheat in exams, which is how it is practically messing up the minds of youngsters. I am personally witnessing how many youngsters have started using AI as a replacement for a friend and it's devastating. 

I am observing youngsters making their life decisions based on AI. They already feel there's no need to add efforts towards connecting with others, let alone foster relationships.

Imagine what the future would look like. I'll leave it to your imagination!

Key points to remember:

A) Social isolation, which needs no further explanation apart from emphasising again how devastating it is.

B) Emotional dependency on AI leads to poor decision-making.

C) Stunted cognitive development and not learning crucial skills like problem-solving, critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

Too much is too bad... Balance is essential!

To both parents and youngsters, my advice is the same, which is to do everything possible to strike a balance between using AI as a supplement rather than a substitute for learning. 

It's like how EdAI rightly said, "You are not supposed to use it as a crutch when you are in good health". 

In my words, I would like to say "You should use AI like a pair of the best running shoes when you are out for a jog." I also appeal to the parents to encourage and engage in activities that foster creativity, critical thinking, manual problem-solving and experiential learning which will work wonders.

Remember my M&M approach?

'M'onitor AI usage and 'M'oderate their activities on the internet. 

Modify their behaviour to encourage the use of AI tools but modulate their experience by utilising the information from AI tools to translate into a more "hands-on" approach.

Setting boundaries is crucial to strike balance and hence:
— Establishing guidelines for screen time and AI use by parents is crucial
— Encouraging breaks not just from devices or screens, but prioritising face-to-face interactions, physical activity and outdoor games needs to be carefully incorporated into their lives. Do note, avoid triggering them or instigating the rebel in them.

Are you becoming a "Smooth Criminal"?

No disrespect to the King of Pop, but the most important aspect of being a human being, which also includes the humane part in us, is our ethics. 

Academic integrity is going down the drain when you use AI to cheat in exams. If this behaviour isn't checked, forget about social skills, even professional skills will take a hit to such a level that after a phase, you'll be leading a lie. 

And the worst part is... It isn't permanent and if we get caught, it'll be devastating and may even be the end of our career.

Hence, as I sign off, here are my suggestions on how and when to use AI :

Use AI to free mental bandwidth: Automate routine, mundane and monotonous tasks using AI which will help you free up time to focus on quality-of-life tasks or even enable you to spend more time socially, indulging in complex, creative, and high-value tasks that require human expertise.

Last but not least, I use AI to help me understand those key concepts that I could never understand but I'm very interested in, like how electric vehicles work and so on. This is perfectly in tune with my curiosity-driven hunger for knowledge which has always been my asset.

Remember, AI only complements, it doesn't replace human relationships. AI is a tool, not an alternative and AI is meant to assist, not make you dependent on it!

With Regards,
Adarsh Benakappa Basavaraj
Your true human coach.