More thoughts on OpenAI’s ChatGPT in education

I have a confession to make. I can’t speak Hebrew fluently. I can read and comprehend, I can write - somewhat - but when it comes to speaking, I get marble mouth every time I try. I am quite embarrassed about this. I have spent three years living in Israel. But I still can’t speak Hebrew. Back in my first year learning post high school in an Israeli Yeshiva, I had a Yemenite Israeli roommate for two weeks. He taught me two words - Mefunak Amerikai (spoiled American). Then we parted ways due to irreconcilable differences.

Then I had two Anglo Israeli roommates. Who spoke to me in English. And a wonderful Anglo Israeli older chavrusa. A member of the Tzanhanim - Israeli paratroopers - who spoke to me in English. And a wonderful Anglo Israeli rebbe. A first class Talmid Chacham. Who taught me to think in new ways. He taught in Hebrew. But allowed me to respond in English.

I share this because learning to speak a language is hard. And the only way to do this is to practice, practice, practice. To struggle with the words. To embarrass yourself. Many times. But I never did this. Because my Israeli friends who taught me a love for Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael never forced me to do the hard work of speaking. So I can’t speak.

I share this because this is my fear with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

It’s a chatbot using artificial intelligence. That can carry on conversations. And write essays. And it’s already crazy good. And only gonna get better. And I am sure creative teachers will find ways to use this in class. As a source students can cite similar to Wikipedia. And for assignments where students correct the artificial intelligence when it gets things wrong.

But this will never teach students how to write. Because writing is really hard. It requires lots and lots of practice. On many different types of assignments. From writing letters to five paragraph essays and term papers and speeches arguing for freedom in oppressive regimes or sushi in the cafeteria. If we think we no longer need this since we can just use the AI to write our first draft, we will never learn to write.

And this would be very sad for me as a teacher who loves learning and for us as a society. Because writing is how I think. I compose my ideas in writing to better formulate, revise, and rethink. And with AI chatbots, I am afraid our students will lose the ability to write fluently. And with this their ability to think clearly. A true AI apocalypse.