You probably saw the advertisements at the end of last semester, excitedly proclaiming that OpenAI was giving college students free access to the premium version of ChatGPT during finals. (Described in this NYT article, among others.)
ただより高い物はない
There’s no such thing as a free lunch
At first I thought that was a lot like a pusher standing on a street corner near a junior high school. (Ok, I still think that). But then I realized that, more than anything, it’s just part of the AI Propaganda Machine, the noise all around us trying to shape how we think about AI. This AI noise is all about planting kernels of desire and fear.
We need to talk about the AI Propaganda Machine because by articulating the propaganda, learning to recognize the parts of the machine, we can avoid being taken in. And we can incorporate AI into our work without forgetting that it is our work that matters.
So what is the AI Propaganda Machine?
First, the idea that anything having to do with AI is free. You know what they say? ただより高い物はない there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Or a free app. The saying “if the product is free, you’re the product” has never been more apt than this moment. Making AI available for free is the desire part. Get people hooked on AI, and, when they want it, when they think they can’t live without it, make them pay.
Second, the idea that “if you don’t know how to use AI, you’ll be replaced by AI.” Everyone is scrambling, saying you better learn how to use AI or you will be left behind. Replaced. This is the fear part. You can see articles about this all over the internet. Here’s one:
Third, using fancy new words for things we already do. Calling it “prompt engineering” makes it sound like something new and exclusive. Using fancy terms triggers fear and desire. Fear that you’ll be left out if you don’t know what it’s about, and desire to learn something novel and mysterious. But prompt engineering is really just asking good questions and learning to guide and direct in ways that shape the output. Calling it “prompt engineering” makes it sound like something we’ve never done before. But there’s nothing new about the skill of being able to ask good questions. Good teachers and good researchers already know how to do this.
That’s it, that’s the propaganda machine. Here’s the tl;dr version:
AI is not free. Humans are not replaceable. And prompt is just doublespeak for question.
So yes, by all means, learn how to use AI. But don’t believe the hype.