Hard disagree. They quite reasonably view mindless bullshit assignments as bullshit. AI introduced as a tool to produce more bullshit just makes it an extension of a failed model of education. This is what they see. It reflects more on our education system, which seems hellbent on automating and standardizing everything to the detriment of real learning, than on the students themselves and their relationship to AI.
I've watched my son and other middle-schoolers use AI for a variety of school projects. I'll just say that we adults have a seriously skewed misunderstanding about AI's usefulness. Beginner's mind can reveal some foundational truths.
From acting as a muse on essays, to exploring logic/math/philosophy problems, to challenging the LLM foundations (trying to get reasoning models into an infinite loop is a popular game), to scaffolding and debugging pygame code, to developing creative personas, to straight up middle-school level humor. Kids are uniquely able to see its flaws and poke at them, and truly understand how the tech could fit in. No hype, just real lived experiences.
IMO kids see the potential clearly and without the hype that the industry has put on it. They're neither in awe or in fear of the technology, as it should be. The so-called adults in the room should take notice (but they won't).
bookofjoe•8mo ago