Imagine Discovering That Your Teaching Assistant Really Is a Robot
http://www.wsj.com/articles/if-your-teacher-sounds-like-a-robot-you-might-be-on-to-something-1462546621
I've got bad news for you guys.
AI is NOT just going for the stupid jobs. It's heading straight for the PhD's jugular.
Let's read a bit about Jill Watson
>Since January, “Jill,” as she was known to the artificial-intelligence class, had been helping graduate students design programs that allow computers to solve certain problems, like choosing an image to complete a logical sequence.
>“She was the person - well, the teaching assistant - who would remind us of due dates and post questions in the middle of the week to spark conversations,” said student Jennifer Gavin.
>“It seemed very much like a normal conversation with a human being,” Ms. Gavin said.
>another student, ascribed human attributes to the TA - imagining her as a friendly Caucasian 20-something on her way to a Ph.D.
>“Just when I wanted to nominate Jill Watson as an outstanding TA,” said Petr Bela.
>Don’t confuse Ms. Watson with the customer-service chatbots used online by airlines and other industries. Mr. Goel boasts that she answers only if she has a confidence rate of at least 97%.
>>8056207
Why is this bad news? It's being trained to answer routine questions by looking at a dataset of questions that have been asked and answered correctly in the past. If anything this will help streamline education by removing all of that shitty redundancy bogging us down.
Also, lol at that retard who thinks we should have full disclosure about what you're talking to. Why does it fucking even matter. I think a good principle is:
>On the internet no one knows you're a dog.
>>8056278
I think the main concern is that a lot of PhD students need this supplementary income to keep them going. If the typical TA team was 9 to start with it might now be accomplished by 3 who get the same pay as before leaving most PhD students with no fall back option.
>Also, lol at that retard who thinks we should have full disclosure about what you're talking to. Why does it fucking even matter. I think a good principle is:
He probably expects you and I to know each other's names before we start conversing.
>>8056318
>names
>nationality
>gender
>sex
>skin color
>ancestry
>...
Where does it stop?!
Education and Medical systems are the most fucked up in the US. It's also the most primed for being replaced for AI. I've had the same doctor give me the same misdiagnosis 4 times in a row for 4 different problems. I'll be happy when AI replace all the doctors in the world.
Anyone here old enough to remember the threat of text books in schools and how everyone said they were going to completely replace teachers?
>>8056718
Thing is they did replace teachers, or at least professors, in many cases. A good textbook is the ideal way of learning anything.
>>8056755
for good students. not for your average student though. and a good student that can learn from a text book along probably would have never needed a teacher to begin with.
>>8056207
A "TA" for an online course that posted one-line answers and premade or generated questions.
When they start having them teach recitation sections, I'll be worried.
>>8056207
>Caucasian 20-something on her way to a Ph.D
Whoa, that sure doesn't fit 99% of all TAs
>>8059580
Not really. just because the name was Watson did many assume she was not Asian. Had the name been Hitotsubashi people would have assumed an Asian 20-something on her way to a Ph.D
