Artificial Intelligence is NOT an Oxymoron
By Bruce Poli
In 1953, the year of my birth, my father was named editor of Leica Photography magazine, and later in 1968, editor of Popular Photography magazine. For both publications, he helped to re-orient images to replace the former mgfocus equipment. It was all about the photographic image and what it does for us as a society.
Cameras were simple—and the point-and-shoot classic photojournalistic Leica was replaced in the late 60s by the Japanese made SLRs. Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Olympus (they copied the German designs and advanced them) are still used today, but as much more complex ‘machines.’
In 1976 Canon introduced the AE-1 which was electronic. My father said, “that’s it…the whole industry is changing. I don’t want to learn it all…I’m out.”
Well, guess what? When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) we’re all challenged and we all have to rise to the occasion.
In 2017, Vladimir Putin made a major speech and said, “whoever controls AI controls the world” and that should send chills down your spine.
West Villager Alana Winnick has produced a very readable, understandable book on AI and education—where it all starts. She serves as the Director of Technology and Data Protection Officer for a school district in Westchester County.
Her book entitled The Generative Age says it all. We are entering a time of “you snooze you lose”…universally. If we don’t become comfortable with AI we are doomed to despair because it will control our whole society.
Artificial Intelligence is invading every industry, every aspect of our informational life. The first thing we have to do is become comfortable with the concepts and learning it. So rather than invading, we think of it as contributing.
The Generative Age attempts to connect teacher, student, and parent alike with the transformation of our education system tdo the new generation.
Winnick’s opening paragraph leads the way to that which we must pay close attention:
Welcome to The Generative Age, a time of unprecedented growth and innovation. The world as we knew it (past tense) transformed on November 30th, 2022, the infamous day that ChatGPT by OpenAI was released. This generative artificial intelligence (AI) software generates human-like text within seconds (hence the word “generative”) and has disrupted the educational system. As educators, it is our mission to prepare students to become the architects of a world that we can only begin to imagine. This is your guidebook to shaping the future of learning in your school or classroom by harnessing the power of this disruptive technology. We will embark on this exciting journey together, embrace the possibilities, and challenge the status quo as we redefine education for future generations. The time for action is now–let’s pave the way to a brighter, (AI)-empowered future for all.
