Dear Editor:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a monster that mankind has created.
I am old enough to remember being taught mental arithmetic and I still use it. For those of you too young to know what that is, it is doing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in your head.
We were taught the “three Rs”: reading, (w)riting and (a)rithmetic.” In the name of progress, we gave our children calculators then computers so they would no longer have to rely on their brain to work with numbers. Strike one for arithmetic.
Over the years these same computers took away the need to be able to read – just use TikTok or YouTube. They will give you pictures on how to do everything, no need to read now. Strike two for reading.
Now we have AI and you no longer need to use your brain to write anything – give AI a few clues and you have your essays and reports done for you. Strike three for writing.
So, what are our students being taught at school these days?
I hope students are being educated on how to live in a world where they can’t get a job because AI has sucked all the jobs out of existence. Yes, you still need IT professionals to program the computers, AI and robots, but those jobs are few and far between.
At the moment, we still need trades people to do electrical, plumbing and construction work – but how long before robots take over those, too? Don’t bother to do anything in the artistic, advertising or human resources areas. That job interview you have been lucky enough to get is with an AI “person.” Don’t try and get creative with your answers so you stand out – “they” are not programmed for such deviances. Which begs the question: How is the successful candidate selected? By lucky draw?
I have watched over the years as my check-up with the doctor became less and less personal and relied more and more on technology. If my symptoms didn’t “fit the mold,” I was either ignored or slotted into a category that did comply. It didn’t matter if that wasn’t my problem in the first place. I can think of many more examples but I am sure you get the picture.
I have often been heard to say that I was very comfortable in the 20th century and, for the sake of my grandchildren struggling to get employment, I really wish we still were.
Just in case you are wondering, this letter was not generated by AI!
Sandra Solomon,
Belwood