TaggartNov 15, 2024

Who wants some good news?

Last week I spoke to a middle school class about cybersecurity as a career, and AI came up. I asked if they had tried to use LLMs to do their schoolwork—they all had. But every student in the class said it didn't work. Why?

"ChatGPT is too stupid."

Kids are alright.

Show threadScott CainNov 15, 2024
I think what this really says, not so much that LLMs are "stupid", but that sixth graders are smart enough to lie when asked if they cheat (and this is a quality lie: "I tried it but didn't like it").
@mttaggart
Show threadTaggartNov 15, 2024
@scottcain Sorry, but I don't agree, and that's a pretty cynical take. 1) They had no reason to lie to me, 2) I have a career behind me of being able to detect middle school lies, and 3) the unanimity and immediacy of the response doesn't track with that theory.
Show threadScott CainNov 15, 2024
I'm really sorry--I forgot the smiley at the end; I was just joking.
@mttaggart
Show threadTaggart
@scottcain Ah phew!
Nov 15, 2024 at 4:38pmWeb