What is the boogeyman? Theories and explanations certainly vary, but overall, boogeyman are a variety of fictional/folkloric monsters presented in stories to frighten children. Tales of the boogeyman have been used for quite some time, the world throughout, to motivate children to behave properly and to utilize caution in dangerous situations. The term, boogeyman, at times, is also used to describe any fearsome thing; and it is this second notion we'll be connecting to.
In the educational field (and humanity at large), a new boogeyman has seemed to arise in the form of an advanced technology: Artificial Intelligence. Artificial intelligence is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.
AI has actually been around for quite some time. In fact, you've been surrounded by it, whether you're aware of it or not. Some examples you may have encountered include chatbots, social media, facial recognition, digital assistants, navigation applications, etc.
One such application that has gained quite some traction since it's public release in November, 2022, is ChatGPT. ChatGPT interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for it to answer followup questions, admit mistakes, challenge incorrect notions, and reject inappropriate requests. ChatGPT is the sibling model of InstructGPT, which is programed to follow an instruction and provide a detailed response.
This notion may be looked at as a 'boogeyman' as many people do not truly understand what it is. And when humans don't understand something, they often fear it. When playing with this artificial intelligence, it can certainly be overwhelming, at first. Educators and workers all over the world are wondering what implications this will bring to their prospective fields.
Let's do an example. Right now, I'm going to ask ChatGPT to write me a poem, while speaking like a pirate!
Arrr, me hearties!
Let's set sail on the seven seas
and explore the wonders of a pirate's life
From battles to treasure,
there's no shortage of adventure
We'll need to learn the lingo
if we're to fit in with these scalawags
Avast! Ye scurvy dogs,
let's shiver me timbers
and hoist the mizzenmast
We'll be sure to find our fortune if we keep our wits about us
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Now, let's do another example. I'm going to ask ChatGPT to write me a poem, in ABAB rhyme scheme, while speaking like a pirate!
IT CANNOT DO THIS . . . YET!
You see, at this time, its algorithms do not have the necessary information to perform such a task. The point being that human beings provide these technologies with what it is able to do with writing, art, music, etc. If we don't do it first, it has nothing to work with. Thereby, it can be inferred, that WE ARE MORE POWERFUL. We have heart; we have soul . . . these technologies DO NOT.
Moreover, I had my students do a writing assignment showing themselves that they are more capable than this technology (hopefully removing the 'boogeyman', stigma that it may hold over them).
Below is a question we posed for Perplexity AI to answer, regarding a character we have been introduced to in one of our studies.
