My third-year middle school son has been saying he has a great invention idea lately, and he was so excited to tell me about it.
So I listened, and it turned out to be a "clock that turns off the alarm only when you drink water".
I tilted my head as soon as I heard it. But when I found out, that 'finishing idea' was all made by ChatGPT.
So I said one thing.
"You should do your homework yourself, what does it mean for ChatGPT to do it for you?"
Then he answered with a dumbfounded expression.
"Dad, all the kids in my class do it with ChatGPT in 5 minutes. Are you telling me to waste time?"
When I heard that, I suddenly thought,
Will children become more and more foolish like this?
But soon my mind changed again. This isn't the first change we've experienced.
There were a lot of 'calligraphy academies' when we were young.
It wasn't just practicing writing, but it was said to be a time to train your mind and learn patience.
But now, no one thinks that writing beautifully means you're good at anything.
Calculation ability or creativity will probably follow a similar path.
Now it is considered "the core ability of human beings",
but soon the era will come when we ask "should humans do this directly?"
Still, I don't think human abilities will disappear.
It's just that the position where we stand on our 'foundation' is changing.
The next generation will probably develop another ability on a new standard.
