When the printing press was invented the Christian Church opposed and delayed its use for about 100 years, when the weaving machines appeared the Luddites burned down the factories that used them, when the automobile appeared in London laws were enacted that made the automobile travel at a walking pace. Changes cause a reaction of rejection and fear, but past experience shows that in the end the demon is not so terrible (perhaps on the contrary). In this post we will examine whether artificial intelligence should be feared.
Our brain is built in a way that allows it to exert as little effort as possible. That is why our brain does not like changes. Change requires thought, adaptation, and a lot of work (of the brain). Most of us, who are connected in one way or another to our minds, feel real fear when change approaches us and try to avoid it as much as possible. Every new technology brings with it a change, but unlike all technologies, from the wheel to the smart phone, whose impact usually started locally and spread slowly, artificial intelligence is going to affect almost everything and quickly. It’s scary. But…
Past experience teaches us that after the dust settles, there are winners and there are losers. For example, with the invention of the camera, the question arose, “Who needs a painter?”, if it is possible to get an accurate picture of reality at the click of a button. Indeed, some painters (such as portrait painters) did not survive the generation of cameras, but a new generation of painters appeared, and the invention of the camera may have accelerated their development (for example, Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism and other types of ‘..isms’).
Now comes Dall-E and Midjourney. The question returns “Who needs a painter?”, when you can get countless options in seconds. In my estimation, in the same way, some painters will indeed disappear, but in their place new “painters” will emerge who can combine forces with the machine and produce “something” of a new kind. That “something” contains the combination of the advantages of man and machine. As in painting, also in composing, writing software, accounting, law and plenty other professions that seem to be replaced by the machine.
So what about the teachers? Here too, the question “Who needs a teacher?” will be asked, when there is a machine that knows how to teach better, is more suitable for the student, doesn’t go on strike and gets better results in the placement tests (I guess we are not far from a study that will prove that students who studied with the help of artificial intelligence got better grades).
In my opinion, here as well as in the other professions, a combination of man and machine will not only not make the teaching profession obsolete, but will also mean that the quality of teaching and education will improve. The teacher will have time in which he can concentrate on guidance and education adapted to each and every student, and let the machine do the technical parts of studying, memorizing, practicing and transferring knowledge. As we have seen, the survivers will be those who are ready to embrace the change and learn how to combine the unique abilities of the machine with the abilities of the teacher (see “To Sir with love” – will AI replace a teacher?).
So should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? Our reaction to fear is usually ‘fight or flight’, so I suggest “let’s be afraid”, if only to fight (hopefully not run away 
), and as in any war let’s prepare for it, learn the environment, get to know the “enemy” and plan a strategy.
HE