In 1917, Sigmund Freud described three “narcissistic insults” that had been caused by science. These were moments of scientific breakthrough that showed humans that we are not as special as we once believed. The first came with astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus’s discovery%5D) that we are not at the centre of the universe, because the sun rather than the Earth […] … learn more→

Last year I attended a panel on generative AI in education. In a memorable moment, one presenter asked: “What’s the big deal? Generative AI is like a calculator. It’s just a tool.” The analogy is an increasingly common one. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman himself has referred to ChatGPT as “a calculator for words” and compared comments […] … learn more→

Over 80% of Middlebury College students use generative AI for coursework, according to a recent survey I conducted with my colleague and fellow economist Zara Contractor. This is one of the fastest technology adoption rates on record, far outpacing the 40% adoption rate among U.S. adults, and it happened in less than two years after ChatGPT’s public […] … learn more→

Every day, students arrive in class with summaries compiled by ChatGPT or ideas outlined by a virtual assistant . Given this reality, an awkward question arises: what’s the point of meeting in class? The traditional classroom is losing its meaning as a place where what a machine can generate in seconds is repeated. The challenge , then, is to […] … learn more→

In 2008, The Atlantic magazine shocked the public with a controversial report entitled: Is Google Making Us Stupid ? In a 4,000-word essay that later became a book , the author, Nicholas Carr, answered this poignant question. The short answer is yes: Technologies like search engines impair the ability to think deeply and acquire knowledge. Carr’s core argument is […] … learn more→

A perfect storm is brewing for reading. AI arrived as both kids and adults were already spending less time reading books than they did in the not-so-distant past. As a linguist, I study how technology influences the ways people read, write and think. This includes the impact of artificial intelligence, which is dramatically changing how people engage with books or other kinds of writing, […] … learn more→

Many writers, actors and other creatives are currently experiencing a small wave of panic about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over their jobs. Generative AI (GenAI) is making machine learning and creative work more accessible to everyone. But for industry professionals, the rise of generative AI can signal the destruction of creative jobs. Yet, according to a recent […] … learn more→

What do you think – who does the job better, an AI essay generator or a human writer? Someone will say: “Of course, a human writer, what a stupid question! Humans are genuinely creative; they write original academic papers and can choose the most relevant citations.”  Another person may have a completely different vision and […] … learn more→

● If not audited, AI will harm many parties. ● AI can not only imitate work, but can also harm society. ● AI audit rules are important to provide security and fairness assurance to all parties. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has now become an integral part of human life. While AI is incredibly […] … learn more→

Scroll through social media and you’ll find numerous videos such as “How to Use AI to write your essay in 5 minutes” or “How to skip the readings with ChatGPT.” The discourse surrounding AI in education is deafening and it’s almost entirely consumed by the question: How? How do we write the perfect prompt? How should educators […] … learn more→