COMMON SENSE AND CHATGPT

 Common Sense does not live in ChatGpt.

The inability of AI systems to access the meaning of what they process makes them 'inhuman'.  The alienation of those who have to train them exacerbates the problem.

 The machine lacks a body, so its learning is based only on words.  To remedy this, it is not enough to increase the amount of text, especially if it is generated by other AI programmes.

 

- by VINCENZO AMBRIOLA

  "Dad, what is a sycamore tree?" Most of us would not know how to answer this question. Perhaps some know it is a tree, from the Gospel passage of Zacchaeus. And then from reading The Shadow of the Sycamore by John Grisham. The cooler ones might remember Down by the sycamore tree, a famous jazz tune by Stan Getz. But how many would be able to recognise a sycamore tree in a botanical garden? In our minds, words are linked both to real-world experiences through the five senses and to other words, in what constitutes an enormous semantic network managed by billions of neurons and synapses that connect them. The word sycamore, if present in this network, could be linked to the concepts of tree, book or jazz. That is why we would be able to answer a curious child.

Generative artificial intelligence, the one behind the operation of ChatGpt and many other similar systems, works by linking words together. Words are analysed in the sentences in which they appear, calculating the probability that they are associated with other words. When the user dialogues with the artificial intelligence system, the response is constructed using the neural network within it, word by word according to a process that also uses some randomness. Formulated at two different instants, the same question can result in a different answer. The substantial difference that exists between these systems and the human mind is the absence of information coming from reality and the total dependence on the words used during their learning. Basically, it is a-sensory knowledge combined with a predominantly statistical manipulation of words (treated as abstract symbols). Interaction with reality is thus what characterises us humans and transforms a continuous flow of information into verbally encoded knowledge.

Much of this knowledge constitutes 'common sense', a heritage passed on from generation to generation that enables us to survive in our environment and interact with other human beings, sharing the profound meaning of words. Words that for us are not just symbols, but semantic markers of reality. Common sense has always been and still is the subject of study and research. The development of computer science is closely linked to the many possible ways of capturing and representing it in so-called ontologies and using it in deductive, inductive and abductive automatic reasoning systems. Since the time of Aristotle, logic has been the greatest conceptual challenge for mankind.

  "We can know more than we can say," so wrote Michael Polanyi in his 1966 essay The Unexpressed Knowledge, in which he presented his research on implicit or tacit knowledge. At a time strongly influenced by a rationalist approach, the birth of electronic calculators and the ideas of Alan Turing, Polanyi questioned the possibility that a human being could have complete and explicit control over everything he knew. This was a strong and orthodox position, which rejected the project of formally codifying knowledge and then using it in a computational context.

  Generative artificial intelligence systems do not possess the equivalent of common sense, let alone an implicit knowledge of what they have learnt. They do not need common sense for survival, and, above all, it cannot be acquired through a sensory apparatus that they lack. They learn only through the words used in training and interact with humans only through these words. They are not able to move us with a look or calm us with a caress. To do this they would have to have a body, but then they would be robots and not conversational bots. In a recent article, Christopher Richardson and Larry Heck describe the state of the art of research projects that aim to add common sense into generative artificial intelligence systems. The negative conclusion of this study leaves no doubt when it states that "current systems exhibit limited common sense reasoning capabilities and negative effects on natural interactions".

 Training an AI system using a large amount of text is not enough. The neural network within it can be confused by relations between words that produce responses without any (common) sense, also called hallucinations. Further training is required. In many parts of the world (Kenya, Nepal, Malaysia, the Philippines, India), hundreds of thousands of individuals spend their day in front of a computer screen, interacting with the system, correcting its responses, identifying hallucinations. A tedious and repetitive job often underpaid and on the edge of economic survival. In 2007, Fei Li, then a professor at Princeton and an expert in AI, declared that to improve the quality of image recognition it would be necessary to manually tag millions of images and not a few tens of thousands. She was right and her strategy caused a new springtime for artificial intelligence.

Human nature wants the person in control of the machines and not subject to their domination. A group of researchers at Rice University recently discovered that the humans in charge of training AI systems, to relieve a repetitive and tedious operating procedure, use, however, these very same systems, in a way violating the indications they receive. In practice, the indications given by the trainers are generated 'synthetically' by the systems they are training, in what we can metaphorically call a 'computer incest' that could slowly degrade the quality of the trained neural network. The same problem is encountered when creating a new AI system, using texts from the Internet, which are increasingly generated by other AI systems.

Generative artificial intelligence is still in its infancy and, as such, is destined to grow and evolve. Its training based on human-produced texts makes it inevitably human-like. Its enormous computing power makes it perceived as superhuman, when for instance it can perform tasks that would be inconceivable to us in terms of the amount of calculation. The absence of common sense, however, reveals its inherent and inevitable inhumanity. At the present time, the most likely hypothesis is that AI will become increasingly superhuman (increase in knowledge and performance) but also increasingly less inhuman (evolution of algorithms, sense management). In the background remains the hypothesis that at some point some form of artificial consciousness may emerge that would even make it autonomous.

 

 www.avvenire.it

 

REGARDER AVEC CŒUR ET ESPRIT - LOOKING WITH HEART AND MIND - MIRANDO CON CORAZÓN Y MENTE

fr - en - es

 "Si vous n'ouvrez pas votre cœur,

vous n'ouvrirez 

pas non plus la tête des gens.

 

Souvent, afin d'encourager une bonne approche des enfants avec la "réalité", nous préparons une leçon d'introduction soignée. 

Est-ce la bonne façon d'enseigner et d'apprendre ?

 

Un jour, j'ai rendu visite à une amie qui montrait aux enfants de sa classe la "Nuit étoilée" de Van Gogh. Au lieu de parler de la vie de Van Gogh, des couleurs qu'il avait utilisées, des raisons pour lesquelles il l'avait fait, elle a simplement demandé : "À quoi cela ressemble-t-il pour vous ? À quoi cela vous fait-il penser ?"

 Je me souviens qu'un enfant a dit qu'il ressemblait à une "couverture brodée d'étoiles", un autre a dit que c'était comme "regarder quelque chose quand on rêve", parce que si vous remarquez dans les peintures de Van Gogh les couleurs sont si vives qu'elles vous coupent le souffle, mais les contours des figures sont flous, comme dans les rêves. Enfin, une petite fille a dit quelque chose que je n'oublierai jamais : "c'est Dieu". Parce que "Dieu est dans les étoiles, il vous regarde". Ce à quoi un enfant a répondu que cela ne pouvait pas être Dieu, parce que Dieu était au-dessus des étoiles, et alors, comme s'ils avaient été contaminés par ces mots, tous les enfants ont commencé à parler entre eux de la façon dont Dieu, le ciel, l'univers pouvaient être. 

 Savez-vous ce qu'a dit Socrate, le plus grand professeur et philosophe de tous les temps ? Je ne peux rien enseigner à personne. Pourquoi ? Parce que l'enseignant ne doit pas enseigner mais éduquer, "c'est-à-dire conduire quelqu'un à l'évolution, de l'impulsion à l'émotion, de l'émotion au sentiment". La maïeutique socratique, c'est cela : ne pas se contenter de transmettre un certain savoir, mais faire penser, réfléchir, discuter.

 Mais surtout, faites-leur comprendre que l'étude n'est pas un devoir ! Il n'y a rien de plus beau, rien de plus passionnant que de connaître le "pourquoi" des choses. Le plus grand plaisir de la vie, pour moi, c'est de savoir que l'on a un savoir vaste et infini à explorer, des millions de livres à lire ; quand on découvre quelque chose de nouveau, une vérité qui se révèle soudain à nous, on ressent un frisson exquis, une exaltation divine ! Voilà ce que je voudrais dire aux jeunes. N'étudiez pas parce qu'il le faut, mais aimez l'étude ! C'est une richesse qu'aucun gouvernement ne peut vous enlever, qu'aucun impôt ne peut vous enlever, elle vous appartient, à vous seul, et elle rendra votre vie riche et pleine.

 (G.Middei)

******************

"Si no abres tu corazón, 

tampoco abres la cabeza de la gente".

 

A menudo, para favorecer un buen acercamiento de los niños a la "realidad", preparamos una pulida lección introductoria. ¿

Es éste el camino correcto para una buena enseñanza y un verdadero aprendizaje?

 Un día visité a una amiga mía que estaba enseñando "La noche estrellada" de Van Gogh a los niños de su clase. En lugar de hablar de la vida de Van Gogh, de los colores que había utilizado, de por qué lo había hecho, simplemente preguntó: "¿Qué os parece? ¿En qué te hace pensar?

Recuerdo que un niño dijo que le parecía "una manta bordada con estrellas", otro dijo que era como "mirar algo cuando estás soñando", porque si te fijas en los cuadros de Van Gogh los colores son tan brillantes que te dejan sin aliento, pero los contornos de las figuras están borrosos, como en los sueños. Por último, una niña dijo algo que nunca olvidaré: "Eso es Dios". Porque "Dios está en las estrellas, mirándote". A lo que un niño contestó que eso no podía ser Dios, porque Dios estaba por encima de las estrellas, y entonces, como contagiados por esas palabras, todos los niños empezaron a hablar entre ellos de cómo podía ser Dios, el cielo, el universo. 

 Mirad, ¿sabéis lo que dijo Sócrates, el más grande maestro y filósofo de todos los tiempos? Yo no puedo enseñar nada a nadie. ¿Por qué? Porque el maestro no debe enseñar sino educar, "es decir, conducir a alguien a la evolución, del impulso a la emoción, de la emoción al sentimiento". La mayéutica socrática quiere decir esto: no te limites a transmitir un determinado conocimiento, sino haz que tus alumnos piensen, reflexionen, discutan.

 Pero, sobre todo, ¡hágales comprender que el estudio no es una obligación! No hay nada más hermoso, nada más apasionante que saber el "por qué" de las cosas. Para mí, el mayor placer de la vida es saber que tienes un saber inmenso e infinito que explorar y millones de libros que leer; cuando descubres algo nuevo, una verdad que de repente se te revela, sientes una emoción exquisita, ¡una exaltación divina! Esto es lo que me gustaría decir a los jóvenes. No estudien porque tienen que hacerlo, ¡enamórense del estudio! Esta es una riqueza que ningún gobierno te puede quitar, ningún impuesto te quita, te pertenece a ti, sólo a ti, y hará tu vida rica y plena.

 (G.Middei)

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"If you don't open your heart, 

you don't open people's heads either."

 

Often, to encourage a good approach of the children with 'reality', we prepare a polished introductory lesson. ù

Is this the right way for good teaching and real learning?

 One day I visited a friend of mine who was showing Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' to the children in her class. Instead of talking about Van Gogh's life, the colours he had used, why he had done it, she simply asked: "How does it look to you? What does it make you think of?"

 I remember one child saying it looked to him like a "blanket embroidered with stars", another said it was like "looking at something when you are dreaming", because if you notice in Van Gogh's paintings the colours are so bright they take your breath away, but the outlines of the figures are blurred, just like in dreams. Finally, a little girl said something I will never forget: 'that is God'. Because 'God is in the stars, looking down on you'. To which a child replied that that could not be God, because God was above the stars, and then, as if infected by those words, all the children began to talk among themselves about how God, the sky, the universe could be. 

 Behold, do you know what Socrates, the greatest teacher and philosopher of all time, said? I cannot teach anyone anything. Why? Because the teacher must not teach but educate, "that is, lead someone to evolution, from impulse to emotion, from emotion to feeling." Socratic maieutics means this: don't just transmit a certain knowledge but make your pupils think, reflect, discuss.

 But above all, make them understand that study is not a duty! There is nothing more beautiful, nothing more exciting than knowing the 'why' of things. The greatest pleasure in life for me is the knowledge that you have a vast, endless knowledge to explore and millions of books to read; when you discover something new, a truth that suddenly reveals itself to you, you feel an exquisite thrill, a divine exaltation! Here, what I would like to say to young people. Don't study because you have to, fall in love with studying! This is a wealth that no government can take away from you, no tax take away from you, it belongs to you, to you alone, and it will make your life rich and full.

 (G.Middei)

THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING

 en - fr - es  Improving teacher education through the science of learning

You may be interested in a news article from Australia on the experience of the Director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn in using the science of learning to improve teacher training and student performance. The article goes on to discuss a broader reform of teacher education being adopted in Australia with three key points: (1) Universities have been given two years to overhaul their education degrees; (2) Changes they must adopt include teaching classroom management, and effective ways to teach reading and writing; and (3) Education ministers have agreed "in principle" with the changes in a bid to fix Australia's teacher shortage. The ABC News (Australia) article is available here.

Améliorer la formation des enseignants par la science de l'apprentissage

Vous serez peut-être intéressé par un article de presse australien sur l'expérience du directeur de l'éducation catholique Canberra Goulburn dans l'utilisation de la science de l'apprentissage pour améliorer la formation des enseignants et les performances des élèves. L'article se poursuit en discutant une réforme plus large de la formation des enseignants en cours d'adoption en Australie avec trois points clés : (1) Les universités ont eu deux ans pour réviser leurs diplômes d'enseignement ; (2) Les changements qu'elles doivent adopter comprennent l'enseignement de la gestion de la salle de classe et les moyens efficaces d'enseigner la lecture et l'écriture; et (3) les ministres de l'Éducation ont accepté "en principe" les changements dans le but de remédier à la pénurie d'enseignants en Australie. L'article d'ABC News (Australie) est disponible ici.

Mejorar la formación docente a través de la ciencia del aprendizaje

Quizás le interese un artículo de noticias de Australia sobre la experiencia del Director de la Educación Católica Canberra Goulburn en el uso de la ciencia del aprendizaje para mejorar la formación docente y el desempeño de los estudiantes. El artículo continúa discutiendo una reforma más amplia de la formación docente que se está adoptando en Australia con tres puntos clave: (1) Las universidades tienen dos años para revisar sus títulos de educación; (2) Los cambios que deben adoptar incluyen la enseñanza del manejo de la aulas y formas efectivas de enseñar a leer y escribir; y (3) los ministros de Educación han estado de acuerdo "en principio" con los cambios en un intento por solucionar la escasez de docentes en Australia. El artículo de ABC News (Australia) está disponible aquí.

SAFE AND LEARNING IN CONTEXTS OF FRAGILITY

-  Safe and Learning in Contexts of Fragility: World Bank Report -

- EN - FR - ES -

A recent paper lays out the World Bank’s policy approach for how to deliver education services so that children are safe and learning. The first section defines the context, dynamics, and key terms and concepts of education in fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV). The second section traces the evolution of the World Bank’s strategy for delivering education services in fragile settings. It draws on interviews with organizations working on education in emergency situations and presents the World Bank portfolio trends for FCV in education, dating back to 2005. The third section presents operational recommendations, drawing on interviews with World Bank task team leaders, managers, and country directors, as well as key partners. The paper is not a systematic review of what works in FCV situations, but it presents guiding principles, policy options, and operational recommendations.

Sécurité et apprentissage dans des contextes de fragilité : rapport de la Banque mondiale

Un document récent expose l'approche de la Banque mondiale sur la façon de fournir des services d'éducation afin que les enfants soient en sécurité et apprennent. La première section définit le contexte, la dynamique et les termes et concepts clés de l'éducation dans les contextes de fragilité, conflits et violence (FCV). La deuxième section retrace l'évolution de la stratégie de la Banque mondiale pour la prestation de services éducatifs dans ces contextes. Elle s'appuie sur des entretiens avec des organisations travaillant sur l'éducation dans des situations d'urgence et présente les tendances du portefeuille de la Banque mondiale dans les contextes FCV, remontant à 2005. La troisième section présente des recommandations opérationnelles, en s'appuyant sur des entretiens avec des chefs d'équipe de travail de la Banque mondiale, managers et partenaires clés. Le document n'est pas un examen systématique de ce qui fonctionne dans les situations FCV, mais il présente des principes directeurs, des options de politiques et des recommandations opérationnelles.

Seguridad y aprendizaje en contextos de fragilidad: Informe del Banco Mundial

Un documento reciente establece el enfoque de política del Banco Mundial sobre cómo brindar servicios educativos para que los niños estén seguros y aprendiendo. La primera sección define el contexto, la dinámica y los términos y conceptos clave de la educación en contextos de fragilidad, conflicto y violencia (FCV). La segunda sección rastrea la evolución de la estrategia del Banco Mundial para brindar servicios educativos en estos contextos. Se basa en entrevistas con organizaciones que trabajan en educación en situaciones de emergencia y presenta las tendencias de la cartera del Banco Mundial para contextos FCV en educación desde 2005. La tercera sección presenta recomendaciones operativas, basadas en entrevistas con líderes de equipos de trabajo del Banco Mundial, gerentes y directores, así como socios clave. El documento no es una revisión sistemática de lo que funciona en situaciones de FCV, pero presenta principios rectores, opciones de políticas y recomendaciones operativas.