Generative AI in Schools: A Double-Edged Sword for Student Development

21

October

2023

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Last week at work I was speaking with one of my colleagues whose son attends the same high school I used to attend. We were discussing his son’s experiences at school and comparing them to when I attended this same school from 2010 to 2012. One big difference that came up was the use of generative AI, especially ChatGPT.

I personally see great benefit in how generative AI such as ChatGPT can enhance our knowledge and our learning experience, but I view this from the point of a university student in his 20’s who had to go through his entire secondary education without the benefit of such tools. My colleague told me that his son has used ChatGPT for almost all his homework assignments and even to write book reports and essays and this is something that worried both him and I.

Your years spent in high school are when you develop yourself and your brain most. By becoming too reliant on AI this can diminish children’s critical thinking and problem-solving abilities that are crucial in their personal development. Also, I think the over-usage of generative AI in school will promote laziness and this can cause negative long-term affects when the person reaches higher education or begins professional life. I personally do not think the current education system, at least in the Netherlands is equipped to be able to handle the current digital landscape. Schools and teachers must find a way to incorporate AI technology into classroom learning in a way that supports critical thinking, problem-solving ability, and independent learning.


According to a recent survey in Australia 43% of over 1000 polled students admitted to using ChatGPT to complete assignments or cheat on exams (Technology News Australia, 2023). According to this same report Australian schools are now considering banning the use of ChatGPT. Public schools in 5 Australian states have already put forth measures to ban its use (Technology News Australia, 2023). Will this become a global trend?

I personally think that the years a child spends in high school are of upmost importance to their development and that changes in our education system need to happen soon. I do not believe in banning the use of Generative AI as it is a tool that can be of great benefit however, a way must be found to limit the negative effects of AI on teenagers. Australia is already implementing measures, are The Netherlands and other nations next?

References:

Technology News Australia. (2023). ChatGPT May Lead To The Downfall Of Education And Critical Thinking. Tech Business News. https://www.techbusinessnews.com.au/blog/chatgpt-may-lead-to-the-downfall-of-eduction-and-critical-thinking/

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The Digital Chef: How AI Tailored my Diet and Shopping Experience.

20

October

2023

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If you are like me you are constantly amazed with just the true capabilities of generative AI such as ChatGPT. By the week I am discovering new ways to use AI and have noticed a significant increase in my productivity.

As an athlete my health, fitness and nutrition have always been of very high priority to me. I have been an avid gym goer since I was around 18 years old both to improve my overall sports performance and for health benefits. In the past few years, I have started taking my nutrition more seriously and have noticed a sizeable difference in results. I have in the past experimented with creating my own diet plans and have also used various diet plans found on the internet. Recently, I have started experimenting with ChatGPT to create personalized meal plans and I have been very impressed with the results. It has even brought me to question why someone would pay a personal trainer or nutritionist when all this information with a little bit of practice is right at your fingertips. Hereby, I would like to show how useful AI can be in creating customizable meal plans and how this can be used to make your life easier.

I recently started my “bulk,” with the goal in mind of gaining some weight mostly in the form of muscle in the coming months. I realized in the past that when I do not track what I eat, I simply do not eat enough and do not gain any weight. From experience I know that I need around 3500 calories per day and 200 grams of protein in order to gain weight. Thus, my first input into ChatGPT was:

“Please create me a meal plan of 3500 calories per day and at least 200 grams of protein.”

This resulted in the following output:

Obviously, most people do not want to eat the same food every day, thus my next question was to ask ChatGPT for some alternative meals within a similar caloric range.

Next, to optimize my daily routine, I wanted ChatGPT to base my meal plan around my daily schedule and give me the times in which to consume these meals. The following prompt was used:

 “Please base my meal plan on my daily routine and give me the times to consume the meals. I leave for work at 8:30. I go to the gym during my lunch break from 11:45 to 13:00, whereafter I eat lunch comprised of rice, a type of meat (usually chicken) and vegetables. I get home from work at around 18:30.”

Now, not only has ChatGPT provided me with a personalized meal plan based on my caloric needs but it has also provided me with a schedule to consume these meals taking into account my daily work and training routine.

Next, I wanted to take this one step further and I requested ChatGPT to provide me with a weekly shopping list for these items and an overall cost estimation based on average Dutch prices so I can use this to budget my expenses:

“Please provide me with a shopping list that I can purchase the items for the meal plan for 5 days. Also provide ingredients to the alternative meals so that I do not need to consume the same meals every day. Please give me the weight/quantity of the items I need. Also, please approximate the price based on the average prices of groceries in The Netherlands and give me the total costs.”

The tool then provided me with a categorized shopping list and an estimated 5-day cost of 80 – 100 euros which I can easily export to my phone and take with me to the grocery store.

I have been using this for the past few weeks and while I do not exactly use the meals provided by ChatGPT it has given structure and inspiration of foods I can incorporate into my diet. Another advantage of this is that it is infinitely customizable and can be used by everyone. Does a person not consume pork? Is the person a pescatarian? Is the person a vegetarian but still eats chicken? No problem, there are endless possibilities, and this could really make an impact into everyone’s lives. I encourage anyone that is serious about their nutrition and fitness goals to give this a try. This really shows how AI can be used to make everyone’s life easier and increase your overal productivity.

References:

OpenAI (2023). ChatGPT, https://chat.openai.com/

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