Genie or Golem
We are undoubtedly still at the very beginning of the history of artificial intelligence, where irrational fears and unrealistic expectations typically coexist. Arthur Koestler wrote about how his father became wealthy from selling radioactive soap in the late 1910s because radioactivity was considered such a miracle at the time that anything associated with it could be sold. After Hiroshima, public opinion on radioactivity changed radically, but today, nuclear technology has more or less found its place in our lives, from medicine to energy supply, becoming indispensable, though no longer considered a miracle by anyone. It is possible that the situation with artificial intelligence will be similar, but until then, it is important that our students understand what it is and what it is for.
Introducing AI to high school students was a surprising expreience. Apparently, they were not necessarily comfortable using it, which quickly dampened their enthusiasm and even hindered them from delving deeper into its use. Learning to use AI will be as advantageous for current students as learning to type was in 1930 or learning BASIC programming in 1980, opening countless doors for them and potentially giving them an insurmountable advantage. Why the initial reluctance and why don’t students enjoy working with it? What can be done to overcome this?
The current applications of artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT or various image generators, at first glance seem completely different from what they actually are, and this causes initial disappointment and loss of enthusiasm. At first, it may seem that AI is like a genie, from whom one can ask anything and it will immediately fulfill it. Ask for an essay on the Cold War and you have it instantly, ask for a picture of a koala dancing in a disco and it’s there on the screen. Instead, the essay might deal with the Cold War but be completely uninspiring, and the koala might look like a cartoon character with the disco lacking the colorful lights one imagined. It’s easy to form the impression that AI is a foolish genie, a backward goldfish, thus not very useful for many things.
The truth, on the other hand, is that despite appearing at first as a wish-fulfilling tool, artificial intelligence is not that, but a very efficient assistant. Not a genie, but a golem, which according to legend was created by Rabbi Loew of Prague. This massive clay statue helped with daily chores in the ghetto, carried loads, cooked porridge, and eased the lives of the Jews in the city. (According to the story, on Saturdays the wise rabbi would remove the piece of paper with the name of God from the creature’s mouth, forcing it to rest, and when he once forgot to do this, trouble ensued.) It’s a mistake to expect artificial intelligence to immediately and always do everything for us, fulfill our wishes while we just sit back and enjoy the freedom. Instead, it’s wise to see it as a very capable and strong helper that assists us in intellectual tasks but doesn’t replace us. We need to know what to ask of it, and more importantly, continuously fine-tune and correct what we ask. We’re better off not immediately trying to build palaces with it, but instead entrusting it with carrying bricks.
I found that this metaphor of the genie and golem greatly helped the students understand how they can effectively use this wonderful tool.
