AI in Education: The Perils of Emulating Historical Figures

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education promises transformative learning experiences. However, the ethical boundaries of AI applications must be carefully considered. Recent cases of AI emulating historical figures, particularly in sensitive subjects like Holocaust education, have sparked controversy. These incidents highlight the potential for misrepresentation, ethical breaches, and the erosion of critical thinking skills when AI is deployed without proper oversight and understanding of its limitations.

Grave Robbing and Disrespect: The Anne Frank AI Emulation Debacle

The speaker starts by introducing the topic of schools using AI emulation of Anne Frank. This initiative aims to engage students with history but has been met with significant criticism. The central issue is the ethical implications of using AI to recreate the persona of someone who suffered immensely during the Holocaust. Critics argue that this is a form of grave-robbing, exploiting the trauma and memory of Anne Frank for educational purposes. Not only is it grave-robbing but the historical accuracy is questionable and therefore poses and number of problems for student education.

The speaker explains that the lack of respect for Anne Frank and her family is a central concern. The act of emulating her experience through AI risks trivializing her suffering and diminishing the gravity of the Holocaust. The human element is needed to see her diary and see the tragedy that befell the Jewish people.

Beyond the ethical implications, there is a practical concern about the potential for inaccuracies and misrepresentations. AI algorithms, even with the most advanced training, can struggle to fully capture the nuance and complexity of historical events and personal narratives. The risk of bias and misinformation is ever-Present, potentially leading students to develop a skewed or incomplete understanding of the Holocaust. While we are all about AI and automation, this is not it.

The ethical problems are vast. Many people are trying to make a buck with this. Is this ethical? Is this useful? Is this ethical?

Berlin historian Henrik Schönemann discovered while experimenting with the bot is that it seems trained to avoid pinning blame for Frank's death on the actual Nazis responsible for her death, instead redirecting the conversation in a positive light.

Funko-Pop-ification of Culture: The Dangers of Oversimplification

A key aspect of the controversy lies in what the speaker terms the "Funko-Pop-ification" of culture. This refers to the tendency to oversimplify complex and sensitive historical events into easily digestible, often sanitized, formats. This trend risks stripping away the emotional and historical weight of these events, rendering them into mere commodities for consumption.

The use of AI in education can exacerbate this problem. By reducing the learning experience to a series of AI-driven interactions, the opportunity for genuine engagement with the material is diminished. Students may come to see the Holocaust as just another topic to be processed and memorized, rather than a profound and transformative event in human history.

The lack of deep understanding is troubling, and more teachers are needed instead. When people you hear a lot of like tech bros and tech startup arseholes talk about like, oh, think of how this could change, think of how the possibilities with AI, how it can change your field, how it can change education and the way we interact and the way we learn. I don't believe that it's true or realistic.

Ghost of Reagan and Historical Whitewashing

The article goes on to highlight another AI historical figure gone awry, talking about Ronald Reagan's take of the aids epidemic. The app claims what they think is correct and appropriate to be true. When students are engaging and using these AI Tools they are using an un-credible resource. There is no tangible way to tell the software whether it is telling the truth or not. These are the questions administrators are not prepared to answer.

I am going to be frank, it is a bad taste to use historical things for education because the program has yet to be perfected. The software, at this point in time, just is not reliable enough. What about this concept except for the human alignment. The bot has been trained to provide what they believe is a better answer. There is just little regard for what the past was or the weight of what the subject can bring.

Resources

ushhmm.org/teach/holocaust-less schoeneh.eu/index.php/Mtog3S schoeneh.eu/index.php/s/dxfFk schoeneh.eu/index.php/s/7p3FkB