THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION: THE DILEMMA OF HUMAN AND MACHINE COEXISTENCE

Abstract

This article explores the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the contemporary world, with a special focus on the realm of education. The author delves into the ethical aspects of AI usage, particularly its impact on academic integrity and the moral dilemmas arising from its application. Issues of copyright and intellectual property associated with AI use are also examined. Emphasis is placed on the challenges of integrating AI into the educational process, including the threats to traditional teaching methods and the potential shift in the role of educational institutions. The author perceives AI not just as a technological achievement but also as a phenomenon necessitating philosophical contemplation, especially in terms of its interaction with humans and societal impact. The article advocates for a deeper understanding of AI and the development of an ethical approach to its application. Introduction. Humans may be the only creatures on this planet who experience intellectual loneliness. Opportunities to find an intellectual equal on Earth are limited, fueling the dream of discovering new forms of intellect beyond our planet, offering the coveted companionship of an equal. However, the level of investment required for such explorations is so astronomically high that even the world’s most powerful economies have minimized these programs, leaving this adventure to eccentric billionaire romantics. Humans have always fantasized about what a meeting of two minds might entail, with utopian literature serving as a prime example. Would this other intelligence be a mentor and friend with whom one could share the burden of consciousness, or a competitor and enemy? There was a time in history when Homo Sapiens shared the planet with other similar beings, such as Neanderthals and Homo Denisova, but only Homo Sapiens survived. Whether the others disappeared due to interbreeding, replacement, or extermination remains a mystery, but our direct ancestors proved to possess something that allowed them to better survive in this world. In popular culture, the more prevalent image is that of an alien-invader, whose goal is not to establish equal relations with humans but rather to conquer and dominate. To fulfill their plan of conquest, these aliens would need a physical embodiment. It seems evident that to subjugate humanity, they would need to exert influence directly within the physical world. If this were the only requirement, humanity could rest easy for the next few years. The development of autonomous machines is still in its infancy and poses no threat. Boston Dynamic’s robots are capable of pre-programmed movements and learning to maintain balance, Tesla’s cars are limited to a set of algorithms for navigating roads, and vacuum-cleaning robots still get tangled in wires left on the floor. But does an alien need to exist physically in our world? When I began writing my master’s thesis, one of the chapters was on Artificial Intelligence and its potential impact on humanity. Less than a year later, in November 2022, my theorizing began to turn into reality with the advent of ChatGPT from OpenAI. Bolstered by the support and investments of major corporations, most notably the tech giant Microsoft, ChatGPT-4 is currently the most advanced and “trained” AI system.