A One-Sided Feud
Let me just get this out of the way: I do not like generative A.I. I think it is a net negative in the world and we'd be better off as a society if it didn't exist at all. However, I am also aware that I will never get this wish and I need to learn how to co-exist with A.I.
I decided to use MagicSchool for this assignment, as I thought it would be at least interesting to see how a different A.I. platform worked and I was curious at its presentation creation abilities. I decided to imagine that this would be a public library program given to primarily adult patrons as I was creating the prompt. The first prompt I used was very basic, as I just asked the A.I to make a presentation about digital citizenship for adult library patrons. The results were... okay. The information seemed fine, but it was very dense. I decided to try again and be more detailed with my instructions. I increased the slide amount from 10 to 15, hoping that it would cram less information into each slide and I added to the prompt that I would like at least one activity to be included. The results were better than the first, but still not great. The A.I still crammed as much information onto each slide and it just made a presentation with more information. I thought the information was better in this presentation though. I also felt that it was better tailored to an adult population. It was closer to something I might actually feel comfortable presenting, but still not quite there yet.
Instead of creating a whole new prompt, I decided to play with the follow up prompts that were available at the bottom of the interaction. I ended up asking the A.I. about suggestions for adding multimedia elements. Unfortunately for my own ego, the suggestions were actually helpful, with one big asterisk as I was unable to locate all of the videos it recommended. I edited the presentation so it seemed more presentable and added some of their multimedia ideas. The final presentation ended up being twice the length since I split most slides in two so their would be less information per slide.
Final Presentation
When all is said and done, I think the presentation is decent. I think the information is accurate, although I do not like not having the ability to double check sources. The information seems relevant to an adult audience and would likely cover most of the questions the audience had coming in. I still do not like using A.I. But as much as it pains me to say, I can see the benefits of using it for brainstorming purposes. I have no clue if I'd ever really use it as that would require me to get off my soapbox, but I suppose I know it is an option now.
When I used A.I. to guide creating a lesson framework for early education professionals, I reached a similar conclusion that it is nice to have as a tool for brainstorming. I am weary of and hesitant to use AI as a tool to enhance creativity/brainstorm because without using AI, I have always turned to friends, co-workers, and real-life experiences if I feel stuck or uninspired. As individuals pursuing an MLIS, I think our weariness about AI can translate into teaching younger generations the empowerment of media literacy. Being curious about where the ideas you consume come from and not taking any information at face value is an essential part of life. I hope that the discourse about the dangers of AI becomes a broader conversation about being informed and responsible in the pursuit of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is okay to never get off your soap box in terms of using AI, and I don't think exploring it has made me get off of mine. It's important to understand AI, its impact, and be willing to explore the positives. However, I think it's okay (and arguably important) to not completely fall into trends that don't align with you. That could change, but until it does, forcing the use of AI just for the sake of "keeping up" doesn't feel productive for me.
(A.G.)
although i don't think AI is as bad as some believe and i do think we can all benefit from it in some way, i do like the issues you raise that come with AI usage.
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