Preface

When ChatGPT, one implementation of Generative AI (GAI), was released in November 2022, it marked a new era for the age of AI in which we currently live. There’s no denying it. There’s no stopping it. Times have changed and are continuing to change whether we want it or not. All we can do is try and enjoy the rollercoaster.

However, let’s be honest, it hasn’t changed anything in the grand scheme of things. The world is still the same as it was before GAI. Sure, GAI might have been the primary cause of some layoffs, but for now, I think that the benefits outweigh the costs.

What do I mean? Well, I think that GAI has an overall positive effect on our learning if (and only if) we use it judiciously. I’ve utilized it during these couple of years and had an epiphany. Thanks to GAI, a new lifelong objective has been bestowed upon us: train to set it aside (except for feedback).

Why

GAI isn’t going anywhere, and it isn’t going to get banned, and neither should it. Figuratively speaking, it’s kind of a modern “nuclear weapon in development”. They who limit its development will lose. West limits and/or bans AI? China and Russia would win. Governments know this. And so, we come to the age-old aphorism: if you can’t beat them, join them. If you’re against AI, you will lose in the job market to the ones who use it wisely.

Additionally, ChatGPT has shown to reduce the amount of brain activity according to an MIT study. The study revolves around cognitive debt which is explained as follows: “… a condition in which repeated reliance on external systems like LLMs replaces the effortful cognitive processes required for independent thinking.“

To be honest, almost anyone capable of using common sense can come to the conclusion that using GAI reduces the amount of brain activity and hence slows the amount of neuroplasticity from happening. If I put two and two together, I can confidently say without any evidence that this won’t decrease the amount of Alzheimer’s diagnoses.

Having a competitive edge in the job market and maintaining your cognitive health should be more than enough of “why.”

How

If you’ve read the tree of Inspiration, which is one of the core trees in Karnavaara, you could presume that ChatGPT is the favorite/front-runner and you’re the underdog. But unfortunately, this might not be practical as ChatGPT is a literal machine. It’s safe to say that you’ll never be able to outwork it. But you can train to set it aside.

First and foremost, come up with stuff by using your own brain. This relates to the generation effect. Do this honestly. Only after you’re complacent with your work, send it to ChatGPT and ask for feedback. Ask questions such as “Is this accurate?”, “Have I understood this correctly?”, “how would you grade this?” etc. You should be the helmsman and ChatGPT your first mate (i.e., your mentor/teacher).

ChatGPT will probably output a lot of feedback. Take your time and dissect it. Understand the dissection. Learn the dissection. Afterwards, return and improve your work. Do NOT copy-and-paste verbatim what ChatGPT came up with. Remember that you’re training to set it aside (except for feedback). With this mindset it doesn’t make any sense to make yourself dependent on it, right?

One crucial thing to remember is that our brain isn’t weak. I think I demystified this in the tree of Diary. The amount of information our brain can store is theorized to be 2.5 million gigabytes. Our brain is capable of some unbelievable things, and not only on a theoretical level. Another thing is that there’s no rush. Take it slow. Breathe. You can read and watch videos all you want but that isn’t going to do jack shit if your memory encoding is nonexistent.

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