(Image credit: Getty Images)
I write about AI for a living. I use ChatGPT almost every day and a plethora of other AI tools are integrated into my workflow. But after reading what author Dave Eggers recently told OpenAI employees, I found myself thinking even more about how AI affects my own kids.Originally reported by The Verge, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman invited Eggers to speak to roughly 200 employees at the company last year. Given Eggers' reputation as an acclaimed novelist, founder of McSweeney's and longtime advocate for literacy, many probably expected a conversation about storytelling or creativity.Instead, he delivered a blunt critique of generative AI's impact on education."The effect of ChatGPT on educators' lives is catastrophic," Eggers reportedly said. "If students are using it to compose... they'll never learn to write. And their voice is stolen from them... That's silencing an entire generation or two."It's a dramatic statement, and while I don't agree with every part of it, it does raise questions that every parent should be asking.Writing isn't just about producing words
(Image credit: Getty Images)One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that writing is simply about creating a finished product. But it is not that easy. Writing is how we organize our thoughts and how we figure out what we actually believe. It's also how we learn to make an argument, explain an idea and communicate with other people.Anyone who's ever stared at a blank page knows that the hardest part isn't typing the words, but actually doing the thinking that comes before them.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.That's the part I'm most concerned about. If students immediately turn to ChatGPT to generate an essay, summarize a novel or answer every homework question, they're skipping the mental work that helps those skills develop in the first place.I believe that's what Dave Eggers is worried about, too. While the finished assignment might look and sound better than what a child could have written, it's only a shell because arguably the child didn't learn anything.I don't think schools should ban AI
