I asked someone to do a few things for me. Following are the tasks with respective outputs.
Write a poem on toys
These are the outputs generated by ChatGPT and Dall-E, the AI tools that have taken the world by storm. People are amazed, clueless, and afraid at the same time for the very same reason, the power of AI.
Though we have been hearing about AI for quite some time now, maybe the first time something of this level has come which can be used by ordinary people, at scale. And this is not it…. Abhi to shuru hua hain (It’s just the beginning)
I am a late entrant in experimenting with these tools. I did some hands-on experiments. As a toy maker and homeschooling parent, my first thought was about its impact on children and the future.
Should I keep them away and try my best so that they don’t come to know about these tools?
Should I introduce them and ask them to use it wisely?
Should I let them use it the way they want? (Obviously, that was not an option, we do have a strict regime for all sorts of screens at home, forget the AI)
I decided to introduce these and discuss the same with them.
So that night me and my 7 and 11 yo sat with a laptop and I opened this pandora box. We started with “100-word essay on the cow” and then kept tweaking the topic to….
100-word funny essay on cow
100-word essay on sad cow
And many others.
And then moved to Dall-E. We did several exercises on both AI tools for more than an hour.
They were enjoying but were perplexed too. What’s happening? We kept searching the same on google too and found nothing nearer to the output of ChatGPT or Dall-E.
And then we started the discussion. They were already a bit aware of AI due to our past activities and exercises like How to Count Elephants using Machine Learning
and Machine Learning for Kids
The discussion was long during which discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly sides. The technology behind this, what else can it do, how far can it go, and several others.
Following is what they have agreed to at the end.
1) This is a wonderful thing.
2) They won’t use these tools in my absence ever.
3) They will have to learn new things to stay relevant against these tools.
The last one surprised me and made me think and write this post.
So the question I was thinking about is:
What will they have to learn finally?
Creativity? Then above 3 outputs are beyond creativity.
Machines have started doing creative jobs too. The current state of these AI tools is fair enough to make countless average content writers, photo editors, and graphic designers jobless in a very short span. And that’s not the limit. There are AI tools that make reels for you, can edit your videos, can create logos, can generate music, and make several other creative things that we have thought only humans would do.
So what will they have to learn?
Here are the top 3 things I can think of.
1) Continuous learning and skill up-gradation is and will be the need. The ability to learn fast and identify what to learn will be critical skills. If you are stuck with your degree, you are stuck in life.
2) Learning to use technology tools wisely for the benefit of us is an important skill. We do hire people for their expertise with google analytics, Instagram, Solidworks, and even google maps. The AI tools are scary but still, tools we need to learn for our benefit.
3) A boy was checking Havi Elements the other day. He did not know about any of the things that Havi Elements provide. But he insisted his parents buy the kit with AI which he has seen on the internet.
I know what would have been going through his mind after watching several AI clips in movies and I also know he won’t be able to take much out of that AI kit since he doesn’t know the basics. I kept mum at that time as it would look hard selling my product and especially because I don’t do that to kids. But I would like to share here with all of you that we need to help our kids learn the basics.
The basics remain the same. You still need creativity, curiosity, communication, and execution ability as explained here.
You still need to learn to work hard, you still need to cultivate discipline. You still need to focus and you still need physical fitness and mental endurance. You still need to know how to sell your products and skills.
Trust me, the future is bright because it’s ours, our next generations.
What is your experience with AI tools? Have you talked about them with your kids? How do they use it? What skills do you think kids must learn? Write in the comment, please.