Note: This article is based on questions from a student.
Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. Embrace it! I worked in industry and taught Computer Science classes for over 20 years. I am seeing a tremendous shift in what industry wants from Computer Science majors. AI, like ChatGPT, can write most of the basic programs we assign our students in Java, C++, or Python. We need to train students, so they know how to use and control AI. Artificial Intelligence affects all subjects.
Computer Science
Artificial Intelligence has developed in Computer Science. Therefore, Artificial Intelligence is affecting Computer Science first. A good overview of the effects is in this video. It is an advertisement, but it has good content.
Mathematics
Artificial Intelligence has a great influcence on Mathematics also. Teaching mathematics is evolving to better help our students thrive in a changing world. On e proposal to improve mathematics is “The 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice.”
Questions from a student
I received a set of questions from a student. My answers are below. A general guideline I learned the first time I answered these questions. Do not make that same mistake I made, ever! Save often.
Significance of Artificial Intelligence
- In your opinion, how will AI most significantly impact everyday life in the next 10–20 years? Please look at the first video posted in this article. It has a lot of good insights. Coding and entry level computer jobs will not be available. Companies are using AI to do many of the entry jobs, to mixed success, see the “World in 2023 video above. I have a friend who uses AI to generate his company’s code. He specifies the language to sue and what tests it should perform. He then asks the AI to take on a specific role and asks clarifying questions, especially for corner-case analysis. AI answers all question as if acting in the specified role. He then has AI generate those cases also.
- What area would you emphasize? The one area I would emphasize is logic. Take the Discrete Structures course. Don’t memorize formulas, look for the underlying principals and know how to apply them to diverse problems. Improve your ethics and language skills
- What careers do you think AI will create, and which jobs will be most affected? Basic coding and entry level programming jobs will disappear. Logic and high-level planning positions will be more in demand. Explore the different Artificial Intelligence tools. Learn to use AI prompts to produce the product you want. It does take some refinement and further prompts to produce the desired product. Design your testing scaffold at the same time you are designing your code. Knowing how to program and the capabilities of different languages is still important. People using AI usually want programs written in specific languages. I always inspect the generated product to check for backdoors put into the code. Know various AI systems, so you are more useful. In general, knowing how to properly use AI will be critical to future careers. You want to control AI and not the reverse.
Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence
- Do you believe AI will be more beneficial or more harmful to society long term? Why? AI usefulness depends on the purpose of the AI generation and who is prompting the AI platform. AI is a new tool. AI is an amoral tool. Safeguards will help against unintentional problems, but who decides what those safeguards are and who implements them. AI will be of great befit and create far more jobs than it eliminates. Developers need to use ethical rules for AI creation. Look at Three laws of robotics | Definition, Isaac Asimov, & Facts | Britannica for one set of guidelines. Learn and go out and make Artificial Intelligence useful and beneficial.
- What ethical concerns about AI do you think young people should be paying attention to? Here people who create Artificial Intelligence need to work closely with the humanities and logic disciplines. Review these articles to get some idea of the importance of ethics and morality:
Preparing for an AI Future
- What preparation for an AI-driven future do you think students need to take now? I recommend that all students take Discrete Structures and any other logic course you can take. These courses can be in mathematics, philosophy, social studies, government, law, or many other disciplines. Look for unifying theories. Learn concepts that lead to the creation of formulas. If you understand the concept and can apply them, you do not need to memorize formulas. At this time, you cannot think faster than an AI system. But you can think more creatively. Use and developed your capabilities so you can continue to use AI effectively.
Conclusion
I wish you well with all of your studies and your future thriving in a world influenced by Artificial Intelligence. In my classes, I will generate all assignments in various AI applications. I will then compare the student’s program with the one produced by AI. The first few assignments in the class should not use Artificial Intelligence to create the submitted code. I will tell you when in class it is appropriate to strt having AI help you with tough problems. If you use a tool like ChatGPT, please go through the code and so it looks original. This especially includes comments so that I know you know what it is doing.
the student who asked me to answer these questions set a response to my article. I am putting it here, so I remember to respond to it.
Thank you so much Professor Cook! Thank you for going out of the way to put this on your website. Here are my responses to your questions:
I’m interested in how AI might change the way we actually learn and think for ourselves rather than just finishing tasks faster. It’s a big shift, and I’m curious about the long-term impact on our skills.
I was looking for a professor at FRCC who could give me a real-world perspective on this, and your name stood out to me. I’m not reaching out to everyone; I just thought your specific field would have the most interesting take on these changes.
Landon