My First Date with AI Was Amazing! Will it Last?

AI is a world of possibilities for creatives and others

Professor Joe Goldblatt

When I first met the robot at my local public library and was told that he / she / they / it could introduce me to every author in the world and cure my rare case of (as I write this my memory blanks at the phrase I am searching for) …ah, “writer’s block”! Upon meeting the robot I was enchanted, enthused, and intrigued.

Soon I realised that the robot was simply a fancy plastic exterior shell with a souless interior. The colourful tall robot looked all powerful as if I had just been introduced to the Arnold Schwartzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and John Wayne type of super hero of my youth. From now on, if I was stuck for a pithy phrase, searching for a new idea, or needed a new plot line all I had to do was consult with my new best friend and it would provide instant answers to my future troubles.

A few days before my meeting with my new AI super hero we entertained a 22 year old University student from Manchester at our home. I asked him how his exams were going and he confessed to regularly using AI to read his essays before he submits them for marking. I was curious as to why he did this and he carefully explained to my 72 year old mono – brain that AI can read his essay as if it were his actual professor and provide him with valuable feedback before he submits the final paper for final evaluation. He then explained that previously his tutor had read and marked thousands of papers and many of these are part of the vast internet and by submitting his work in advance to AI his paper benefits from all of the previous knowledge of the universe and especially the marking criteria used by his tutor.

Prior to entering University to pursue my Masters and Doctoral degrees I was required to successfully complete two pre – requisite courses in statistics and economics. I was never very good with maths, however, I registered at my local university for two modules and away I went.

On the final day in my statistics class there was a final exam. Along with 50 other students who were half my age I sat nervously behind my desk as I watched the elderly tutor blow the chalk dust off of his centuries old statistical exam papers. A huge cloud of white dust formed in front of his face as he passed out the papers to each student.

As he distributed his exams I noticed that each student displayed a small plastic box with buttons upon their desk tops. I wondered if this was some sort of remote control and when the tutor handed me my exam paper I asked him “What is that?” He smiled and said “It is the newest thing. A calculator!”

The closest machine I had ever seen that resembled a calculator was my father’s metal adding machine that was always near his cash register so he could calculate the total value of the metchandise a customer wished to purchase. The machine made a roaring clacking sound when papa pulled the handle and the white paper roll magically produced the figures.

As the tutor said “You may now begin” I suddenly realised I was the only student without a small plastic box. I looked with envy as all the other pupils rapidly punched the buttons on their small plastic boxes and then smiled as they circled the correct letters upon their multiple choice answer sheets. As I did not have this new tool I used white scratch paper that was over run with calculations of the mean, median, and mode statistical answers.

I survived my statistics class with earning a C. This passing grade allowed me to enroll in my post graduate programme. However, later, by continuing to use my brain, I actually thrived.

My doctoral dissertation involved testing my hypothesis that a qualification examination could be constructed to prove knowledge in the new and growing field of events management. I pre – tested 200 adult students twice and needed to average their answers to construct a final multiple choice examination. Each time the students were tested I manually calculated their mean, median, and mode statistics. It took a long time. I later learned that I could have used the newly developed computer punch cards and have reached the same conclusions within seconds versus hours.

When it was time for me to face my doctoral committee for the oral examination, I was asked by my statistics tutor what software I used to calculate my findings. I pointed to my head and said that I had done this work using my brain rather than a computer. He was astonished.

Then he asked why I had decided to forego modern technology to do things the old fashioned way and I simply and modestly answered “I want to be sure I had the right answers.”

A few minutes later I was invited to leave the room and my wife and I walked onto the front pavement in front of the School of Education while my committee deliberated my future. About ten minutes later my doctoral supervisor walked out the front door, raised his hand to his forehead to give the appearance he was searching for a new visitor. He looked right and left and then announced, “Excuse me, I am looking for Dr Goldblatt?!”

He then escorted us back into the examination room where I was greeted by loud applause and I soon realised that sometimes by doing things in a longer and more complex way one may not only survive, one may thrive as I did that day.

This is not to question the value of calculators, computers, or AI. I recognise they have and will improve the world of work as well as provide us with more leisure time. However, I believe there is still a place for using our brains to albeit slowly and carefully analyse our problems and seek new solutions.

Another young friend recently told me that very soon through AI the world of work will change dramatically and perhaps we will actually do less work in less time and earn even more money than in the past. I suppose that is something many folk will look forward to. However, I have a different view.

I continue to find pride in completing a piece of work using my experience, intuition, imagination, creativity, and even my fading intellectual abilities to provide the world with a wee bit of innovation and even one or two new ideas. I am sure my electronic super hero can do this faster, easier, and with more resources than I can muster, but I am not sure he or she or they or it will have as much fun as I have with figuring things out and savouring the satisfaction of knowing and understanding through my tedious, hard, and often gratifying work that results in something no robot nor AI can currently experience: genuine pride.

Professor Joe Goldblatt is Emeritus Professor of Planned Events at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

His views are his own. For more information about his views visit www.joegoldblatt.scot