Session notes:

In the century that we live in, it is often quite fascinating to stop and look around every once in a while to notice how fast our worlds are changing. Yet, the upcoming changes in the workforce or the sudden outburst of AI-detected essays carried certain drastic and undeniable effects on our lives. ChatGPT, let alone becoming inseparable from a student's life right now, was not even a part of our reality until just a couple of years ago. The more we dive deeply into "Artificial Intelligence," the more we might feel lost and hopeless about the future, especially as teachers and teacher candidates.

Nevertheless, rest assured, said our dear guest for our 11th session's guest, Oya Geron, and explained in detail how we should approach when it comes to finding common ground between the humane factor (aka ourselves) and AI.

"One of the most significant key factors to consider for perceiving AI is knowing that AI will not replace every job or task we do," Geron said. "It will rather be a process of integration as I do not think of the future in a way that fully relies on AI."

Although the human in our work will find its way to preserve itself, that does not mean it ends there. As Geron mentioned, new things are usually rejected and ignored by the majority at first—calculators, computers, and now Artificial Intelligence. However, denial is not the correct path. "Even my six-year-old daughter is getting familiarized with AI and learning how to take advantage of it because she is born in it, and she needs to learn how to live with it," Geron added.

When it comes to learning, AI is quite the student with various methods. Certain terms, such as Deep Learning or Big Data, might sound familiar as they are connected to this learning process. While Deep Learning simply means teaching AI the ways of our brain and the neural network, Big Data is self-explanatory: A set of grand and various data. Although AI contains an amount of data that no human brain can fully comprehend, the path it follows to reach that point is quite similar to a baby learning to talk.

But what about using AI? "Well, be precise," says Geron. "AI turns sentences into 'tokens' and therefore into numbers. The rest becomes a guessing game where it tries to find the perfect combination, the perfect word that can follow the previous one. The more precise you get with your request, the better and more detailed answer you will receive. Think of AI as someone who has no idea what you are talking about. How would you describe your standards and your demands? From the scratch, with each crucial part carefully mentioned."

It is vital to keep in mind that AI can be many other things except being correct in some cases. It might use misleading information, not understand jokes, puns, or emotions in specific contexts, and can be used to deceive or manipulate others. At the same time, AI can be an incredible tool for enhancing time management and utilizing your learning style efficiently. "AI is your intern who is at the light speed." says Geron, "Although it is quite practical, it cannot do all the work."

We started by mentioning the fast pace of our world, how AI has already altered many of our standards, and what ways we can take advantage of this as educators. Since she highlighted awareness of both self and the world's knowledge, let's conclude with our favorite quote related to this from Geron: "The one who does not know what they are looking for will not understand what they have found."