From Subject Tests to Test Subjects

For the past few decades, we’ve put our kids into a giant petri dish and run an endless array of experiments featuring addictive screens, streams, and social interactions. But we’ve never poured anything into the petri dish quite like AI. And even the scientists holding the beakers have some concerns. WSJ (Gift Article): Google Pushed AI Into Schools—and Even Students Say It’s Gone Too Far. “‘We’re doing this experiment on an entire generation on cognitive development, with no control group,’ said Mikel Rodriguez, a former Google research scientist who left last year. He said people inside Google privately worried among themselves about how their AI use was affecting their own cognitive skills. ‘It’s really uncertain what that’s going to lead to in terms of learning.'”

+ Middle-Schoolers Are Seeking Out AI Friends Instead of Real Human Ones.

+ An NYT (Gift Article) interview with Bill Gates, who offered several blunt warnings on AI and the notion of leaving the regulation up to the companies making the products. “I almost can’t keep a straight face. It’s fair to say that outside of the industry, the awareness of the dangers of A.I. is extremely low. And you can say that of academia, you can say that of think tanks, you can say that of policymakers, politicians. And part of the reason I’m speaking so loudly — as loud as I can — is that you can’t rely on the industry to self-regulate here. I mean, it’s just insane.”