Conor Grennan on LinkedIn: I get asked if ChatGPT and other LLMs ...
I get asked if ChatGPT and other LLMs will diminish critical thinking in young people. This argument, ironically, lacks critical thinking. Because it’s the Exact Opposite. Here's why. (BTW at the end I’ll give a pro tip on how to get these vividly realistic images with mid journey with one simple word.)
Critical Thinking and Education
There’s zero evidence, other than false evidence - for example, that students don’t need to think as much to write their Hamlet papers. The problem with that line of reasoning is that it focuses on a way to take a test, not on education itself. Don’t confuse the two.
Yes, this will change education. It will change proxies for grading. But to say that it saps the need for critical thinking is absurd. LLMs like ChatGPT are thought partners that reward critical thinking.
For it to be true that students no longer need critical thinking, it would have to be true that AI produces unique, perfect answers out of the box. That’s not true.
It’s also like saying that with calculators, people won't need math anymore. That would mean that any idiot could be a rocket scientist at NASA. Or be a quant at a hedge fund. Because the calculator doesn’t require math anymore.
Expanding Thinking
LLMs expand your thinking. They augment you. If you’re too lazy to come up with new methods of evaluating talent or grading students, then that’s on you. Don’t blame ChatGPT.
I tell companies all the time - hire for critical thinking. That’s my Monday rant!
Okay - bonus easy Midjourney tip! Add a camera to your prompt. This was mine: female student working on a laptop, taken by Nikon D850. Boom. Photo realistic. Just ask ChatGPT to give you a bunch of cameras and put them in.
Enhancing Critical Thinking
LLMs just allowed students to have a 24/7 incredibly smart tutor at their disposal. The barrier to high-quality education about 95% of topics just became $20/mo and intrinsic motivation.
Generative AI reduces the opportunity for critical thinking by removing high-value signal such as source and authorship, which is a well-documented effect. Keynote & Workshop Speaker on Practical #AI for Higher Education | Associate Prof. English, GSU | Perimeter College #TeachingwithAI, EDUCAUSE AI Expert Panel, #AIinHigherEd, #EdTech, #LMS Specialist, 20+ in #HigherEd.
Using AI for Critical Thinking
The best ChatGPT4 prompts require a lot of critical thinking. To get a good answer, you have to pose a good question, well. AI, particularly non-deterministic LLMs, could actually enhance critical thinking—if students learn to use them differently to challenge their views and identify bias in their thinking. Assuming someone is teaching this out of the box approach application of LLMs.
An interesting experiment your Psychology department could run is to assess if students are genuine critical thinkers or if they are adept at the college’s deterministic/standardized problem-solving?
It's like saying that if people use Google Maps they will have a hard time navigating without a phone.
I encourage 4 people to share how they use LLMs to improve their problem-solving approach. #problemsolving #criticalthinking #business #AI.
Conclusion
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