Four careers over 50+ years. USMC, engineering, consulting, education. Past twenty years have focused on helping leaders become and remain relevant during times of change.
MindPrep Reflections – AI Induced Amnesia – Part 2
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Reader Last week I reflected on the small study conducted by some MIT researchers and a disturbing finding. They asked 58 students to write an essay. Some could use ChatGPT to create an initial draft. Some could use Google-search for research. And some had to draw entirely on their own knowledge and reasoning. 83% of those who used ChatGPT to draft their work couldn’t recall a single sentence minutes later. The researchers referred to this as “AI-induced amnesia.” Four QuestionsReflect on these questions:
No, no, no, and no! The point behind my simple reflections is that there is a wide gap between knowing and doing. (Side note: The Knowing Doing Gap, by Sutton and Pfeiffer, published in 2000 was a wonderful prod for me when I started a small training company.) Improving your level of fitness requires that you make the effort to use your muscles. Improving your level of thinking requires that you use your brain! How?A simple answer to my query is to write more. Ugh, you say! That’s like going back to school; and I’m sure that writing those dreaded essays was not something you wanted to do. However, the work of writing those essays forced you to think. And maybe, just maybe, you learned something. Unless, of course, you copied your big sister’s essay from years before. If so, you put words on a page without thinking. The same thing happens when you ask ChatGPT to “draft” an article for you. Words on a page – no thought. Two kinds of writingMy writing hero, William Zinsser, identified two kinds of writing in his wonderful book Writing to Learn. Type A writing is explanatory writing: writing that transmits existing information and/or ideas. This is a technical skill that relies on order and sequential logic. Your friend ChatGPT is very good at this. But it may turn you into a reader, not a thinking writer. Type B writing is exploratory writing: writing that enables us to discover what we want to say. This, according to Zinsser, is “a voyage of discovery into the self.” Ponder this: It’s not a question of Type A or Type B. It’s a question of integration. “Reading, writing, and thinking are all integrated. …. An idea can have value in itself, but its usefulness diminishes to the extent that you can’t articulate it to someone else.” A suggestionGet a cheap, bound notebook and a decent pen and see if you can discover the wonders of thinking for yourself again. Find a topic that interests you and write about it. Sure, do some research and maybe even use the internet for help. But don’t ask an AI bot to “draft” the article for you. Think for yourself. Let me know if this helps. Cheers, Bill |
Bill @ MindPrep
Four careers over 50+ years. USMC, engineering, consulting, education. Past twenty years have focused on helping leaders become and remain relevant during times of change.
Reader (We are still unpacking from our move from Colorado to Illinois, so this is very short. I’ll comment on this in the next issue. In the meantime, ponder the impact of this technology on you and your family. It’s not going to go away.) “Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own. Writing enables us to find out what we know—and what we don't know—about whatever we're trying to learn.” (William Zinsser, Writing to Learn, 1988) Zinsser’s book has been a companion for...
Reader, Rin Duong I'm an OOG (Official Old Guy) and my career aspirations are mostly history. I don't intend to ride into the sunset, but I know I have more history than future story. On the other hand, Miley and JJ are both HS seniors and are just about to enter their careers (whatever they may be). My generation has written its history; their generation is just starting. And I'm concerned for them. Here's an excerpt from some of Kyla Scanlon's writings (look her up, she's really smart) to...
Reader, Rin Duong Artificial intelligence (AI) is being discussed everywhere, and we are certainly not lacking for a wide variety of opinions as to its impact. Some of the opinions are from real experts, some from intelligent novices, and some from people who simply have an opinion. However, there is little consensus as to how bad or how good AI will be for society, businesses, and our careers. So, here’s my recommendation: think about it for yourself! Prepare for the impact of AI on YOUR...