091: Another in a long line of disruptive technologies
[During - Session 1] The ship sets sail
Before we begin: Do you have an absolute favorite office chair? I am on the hunt for a new solution. I trust you, dear readers, for the best advice. Thank you.
“GenAI can be an extension of your brain.”
Tonight marks the first time in 15 years teaching at MCAD where I’ve had Continuing Education (i.e. typically older) students. I’m looking forward to a more diverse range of opinions and ideas in class.
We’ve got 12 students on the roster. 11 showed up. Much of any first class is procedure setting, but also the business of getting acquainted. I asked:
Where (in what environment) did you learn the most, prior to studying at MCAD? The most popular answer (include some older students): YouTube. I am not surprised.
What did your most-favorite teacher do to earn that distinction? “Listened to me” was a popular answer, but they also said, “pushed me (to excel).” Points well taken.
What was the first piece of technology you cherished? Many iterations of the iPod took the top spot. And pretty much every item mentioned enabled music in some manner. Hmmm.
How do you explain AI to people today? While “useful” was the most common answer, I really appreciated the headline provided above. Casting GenAI as an extension of your brain is potent, and illuminating.
I’ve been describing AI as, “an entirely new set of tools which empower us to think about art, design, and business differently than ever before.” But “extension of your brain” is better.
So we’re off.
When ChatGPT launched in November of 2022, it was immediately apparent my previous Future of Advertising curriculum needed to change. And in the year since then, I have only become more convinced AI is having and will have profound and transformation impact on all of us, in a myriad different ways, most of which haven’t occurred to us yet. And so, as artists and as entrepreneurs, we should be professionally curious and seek to understand how this technology might help or harm our aspirations and our professions. Part of doing that is stepping back.
The long history of disruptive technologies
One of my favorite books is Yuval Harari’s Sapiens—A Brief History of Humankind (Amazon link). The graphic novel version is great, too. He does a wonderful job making the contrast we can’t fathom today, in essence, humans have spent more time on earth without written language than with. Ironic to read those words. Putting pen to paper was truly disruptive, setting a stage for even more disruption.
Did you know the melody we sing today to the Christmas carol “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” was originally written by Felix Mendelssohn to salute Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press? The economist E. F. Schumacher provides a provocation: “The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is.”
And then the camera and photograph emerge, angering the status quo of that day. Followed by all things digital… And here we are, centuries later, continuing the trend of reacting to change with familiar hyperbole.
I am neither AI skeptic nor an AI apologist. I am fascinated to unravel meaning and perspectives from using, evaluating, and creating via generative AI.
Let’s talk plagiarism, and the six magic words
MCAD has an official policy, automatically inserted in every syllabus (bold italics mine):
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Production of Works
MCAD supports students in the development of an individual voice through their work, and faculty expect student work to be a reflection of their own ideas and skill. The use of AI technology as a substitute for individual effort is strictly prohibited and will result in failing the assignment or the course, and/or academic probation. With regard to AI, unless permitted in advance by faculty to experiment with such technology, or with faculty agreement that it is applicable within the context of a larger project and properly cited as such, there will be no exception to this policy.
There are much more elaborate policies in academia. I applaud my institution for its brevity, and a six word escape hatch—which might also be an encouragement. Time will tell.
Of course there’s homework
The students have been asked to write a response to:
How will GenAI impact and improve your work as an artist and/or entrepreneur?
I didn’t specify length, or if they can or should use GenAI, or that they use words in reply. Let’s see where they take this.
14 more sessions to go.
I’ll post an “After” reflection this Thursday.