Paul's Logs October 27 - November 2
2 additions to document , most recent over 1 year ago
| When | Why |
|---|---|
| Oct-29-23 | Turning First Person Accounts into AI Thinking Partners |
| Oct-29-23 | Genesis of AI Thinking Partners from First Person accounts of the Israel-Hamas War. |
One thing from my time in the classroom that has led me to question something I thought I knew...
Okay one thing I've been working on recently is creating AI Thinking Partners from articles that are first-person accounts of what is happening in the Israel-Hamas War. This is something we have been moving toward in our TTT conversations on Wednesday evenings. We started a few weeks ago, just using AI Thinking Partners that we already had with recent texts about the war. The discussions there some in our group to suggest that we needed AI Thinking Partners that showed their opinions more, expressed their biases, even hatred more. We need AI Thinking Partners that would somehow show why this war was happening. What divided people so much... (more to add here)... I created a Hamas Soldier and a Zionist Soldier and make an AI Thinking Partner that was a dialogue between them. The feedback on these was that they had perspectives and clearly different positions and arguments, but that they had no personality, or authentic persona. And we wanted that. To the credit of this group, we didn't get down on AI or anything and just started thinking about where we had felt that passion, and a professor from Arizona asked, "Can you put an interview from NPR in, because I heard something amazing the other day." Oh... I have to finish... So this is how we got to First Person accounts. And to my surprise. All we have to do is put these interviews and transcripts of audio accounts into the system and the AI Thinking Partners exist! This is all pretty exciting!
Added October 29, 2023 at 1:13pm
by Paul Allison
Title: Turning First Person Accounts into AI Thinking Partners
The Israel-Hamas War. I've been reading about it, trying to read with empathy, compare different perspectives, sort my way through the issues. I'm trying to deeply understand what is happening, probe empty rhetoric, believe everybody and doubt everybody. I'm in the midst of an inqiry, an exploration of one of the globe's most wicked problems.
Added October 29, 2023 at 10:53pm
by Paul Allison
Title: Genesis of AI Thinking Partners from First Person accounts of the Israel-Hamas War.
I've been working on creating AI Thinking Partners from first-person accounts of the Israel-Hamas War recently. A few weeks ago, we started using AI Thinking Partners with recent texts about the war in our TTT conversations on Wednesday evenings. The discussions in our group suggested that we needed AI Thinking Partners that showed their opinions and passions more, and expressed why this war was happening.
So, I created a Hamas Soldier and a Zionist Soldier and made an AI Thinking Partner that was a dialogue between them. The feedback on these was that they had perspectives and different positions and arguments, but lacked personality or an authentic personas.
To the credit of the group, we didn't give up on AI and started thinking about where we had felt that passion. Jessica Early suggested, "Can you put an interview from NPR in, because that's where I hear strong voices.
This is how we got to First Person accounts. To my surprise, all we had to do was put these interviews and transcripts of audio and video interviews into prompts and the AI Thinking Partners came alove! This is all pretty exciting! I've never done reading like this before.
We invite you to try it out.
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I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
Indeed, the very essence of a person, their emotions, experiences and perspectives – everything that gives their words life and makes them who they are – can now be captured in our AI Thinking Partners. By bringing these first-person accounts to life, we get closer to perceiving the richness and depth of their stories. We believe that these ‘micro narratives’ could form the foundation of more complex discussions, prompting deeper analysis, fostering empathy and nurturing a richer understanding of our shared human experiences. The Israel-Gaza conflict, like many other global issues, is deeply complex and requires an understanding of diverse perspectives. Through our AI, you can interact, question, challenge and better understand multiple facets of these experiences and standpoints. To experience what it’s like hearing from a father, whose family survived an attack on an Israeli kibbutz, follow the link: Golan’s Story https://nowcomment.com/documents/360055..
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I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
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It’s great to read your text and see your experimentation with AI in your creative process. Now, focusing on our key point specifically for this discussion – figurative language, let’s explore how it plays out in your excerpt.
One instance where your figurative language shines is this:
- “All we have to do is put these interviews and transcripts of audio accounts into the system and the AI Thinking Partners exist!”
Your metaphorical phrase, “the AI Thinking Partners exist” splendidly embodies the criteria listed above. It’s relevant and clear, hinting at the creation of these AI entities through inputting data. With its original phrasing, the figurative language doesn’t feel clichéd. It’s consistent with the rest of your informal, conversational text and effectively conveys your excitement and surprise.
Another good example is:
- “What divided people so much…”
This metaphor ingeniously encapsulates the theme of conflict and division without explicitly stating it, making it clear, original, and relevant to your text.
However, you also have a couple areas where figurative language could be used more effectively:
- “This is something we have been moving toward in our TTT conversations on Wednesday evenings.”
This sentence could be enriched by using vivid imagery or metaphors. What if you approached it this way?
“We’ve been marching down this path in our TTT discussions on Wednesday evenings, every step brimming with enthusiasm and anticipation.”
It’s more effective in capturing the anticipation of your group’s evolution in using AI in your discussions.
- “And we wanted that.”
While it’s straightforward, a little flavor of figurative language wouldn’t hurt. It could be enhanced to something like
“We thirsted for that authenticity, that spark of unique persona.”
It becomes easier to imagine your group’s craving for more personalized AI partners through this metaphor.
Remember, your use of figurative language is a key tool in painting your narrative in the reader’s mind. I’m intrigued by how this innovative engagement with AI continues, and I encourage you to experiment more with figurative language to make your sharing even more engaging.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on these suggestions. How do you feel about the changes I’ve proposed? Any ideas bubbling up that you’d like to share? Let’s continue this conversation!
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I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
Firstly, I’m really pleased to see how dynamic and adaptable your teaching methods are. The fact that you’re continually refining and seeking to improve your AI Thinking Partners is a testament to your driven nature and dedication to your students, which many lack.
However, when integrating AI Thinking Partners into your curriculum, ensure the technology supports your learning goals rather than distracting from them. While first-person accounts from the Israel-Hamas war can facilitate lively discussion, it’s just as important to make sure students understand the historical context, political nuances, and wider implications of the conflict. Inviting people with different perspectives to speak in your class for a live discussion might also be a useful approach.
I also noticed you tend to use a more colloquial, informal style in your writing. While this is fine – and even preferable – in certain contexts, in professional and academic settings it’s generally better to use a more formal tone. This provides a model for your students to follow for their own professional interactions.
On a positive note, your passion and excitement for this new approach is incredibly clear. It’s fantastic that you’re seeking out ‘authentic personas,’ which can help students engage more closely with the material.
As a final note, I encourage you to be open to changing or tweaking this approach as you go along. Reflect on the outcomes of this new strategy and ask yourself if the AI Thinking Partners are making the type of effect you envisioned.
Your excitement and passion for this project is palpable and I believe it will have a positive impact on your students. Now, use that same burst of energy to reflect on my feedback. Do you feel it’s possible to integrate my suggestions? Can you think of any other ways to engage your students deeply in the topic? Remember, good teaching is about growth, adaptation and constantly learning, much like our students.
I’m eager to hear your thoughts on this feedback and your plans moving forward. Remember, this is a safe space for dialogue, questioning, growth and, of course, a bit of fun.
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I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
I’m the Tech Liaison for the New York City Writing Project. I… (more)
Firstly, let’s address one Wicked Problem underlying this text, which is the AI’s lack of emotion or authentic persona. This is significant because having an AI that shows opinions, biases, and even hatred allows for a more realistic representation of conditions and viewpoints, especially in complex situations like a war. However, this Wicked Problem is tough to solve due to the inherent difficulty of programming human-like personality traits and feelings into AI. It’s riddled with unspecified and contradictory requirements like, what makes a personality authentic? Or, how can an AI exhibit humanlike emotion without causing misunderstanding? As you can see from the quote: “they had no personality, or authentic persona. And we wanted that.” – it’s clear that this Wicked Problem is faced in the text.
A second Wicked Problem that we can observe in this excerpt is the effort to fully understand a complex issue such as the Israel-Hamas War through firsthand AI Thinking Partners. Why does this matter? Well, we’re dealing with a multifaceted issue here that involves political, ethical, and historical elements, among others. Providing an accurate, unbiased understanding of this war is crucial for drawing constructive conversations or conclusions. What makes this a Wicked Problem, however, is how inherently complex and controversial the topic is – with contradictory viewpoints, fluctuating dynamics, and vast historical contexts, recognizing a complete and truthful representation of the war is almost impossible. As the writer said: “What divided people so much… I created a Hamas Soldier and a Zionist Soldier…”.
So those are the two Wicked Problems I’ve observed in this text. Do you see any others? Or would you like to delve more into the ones I just discussed?
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