No. Ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand.  It is an urban myth (or urban ‘legend’ in the USA).  The story, however, has spawned the term ‘Ostrich Syndrome’ – which I rather like and, to a certain extent, in personal, individual perspectives, I believe we all have a bit of it

“An essay to write? Pop it into a chatbot. The quickest route, the shortcut, is not always the most effective route.”

I recall a seminar for parents some years ago on the subject of ‘Internet Safety’ with the broader context of social media and mobile phones.  The expert was well-informed, presenting with clarity and a gentle undertone of insidious fear-mongering. Familiar advice: enable parental monitoring and software, privacy settings, check devices occasionally, no mobiles/devices at night – leading by example.  A mother put up her hand: ‘Can you come round to our house and sort this out, please?’ QED: Ostrich Syndrome.

That was some years ago and, if anything, the dangers of social media have grown exponentially, with easy access to divisive, dangerous, discriminatory so-called ‘influencers’,  misogyny, pornography and violence. I make no apology for being alarmist: it has never been more important to discuss these things with your offspring and to monitor their online behaviour. You are the parents; you are the adults. While education, explanation and understanding are important, you make the rules.

As to AI, I realise it is now time to remove my own head from the sand.  I tried a ‘generative AI chatbot’ which shall remain anonymous – no product placement here.  Let’s call it Albert Inestein.  I asked it to produce a 500 word essay on AI for a parental audience. Just moments later, in the blink of an eye, a well-written composition appeared.  I daresay I wasn’t the first to ask the question. Of course, any chatbot is only as good as the questions it is asked and how often.

What we all fear as parents and teachers is that AI will diminish the capacity for creativity, with our children ever more reliant on technology. As with any aspect of life, decision-making and learning, critical thinking is a fundamental prerequisite. AI is not a substitute, it is an aid.  Anything it produces should be considered with discernment; with sound, balanced judgment.

One attribute of a good teacher is the art of the question: when and to whom.  The question ‘Why?’ encourages critical thinking and analysis, as does, ‘How do we know?’  The material produced by AI should also be subjected to that – perhaps even more so.  Who is ‘in charge’ of the particular chatbot?  What is their background and motivation?

Let us consider for a moment the developing adolescent brain. Emotional development lags behind logic resulting in teenage impulsivity – something with which we are all familiar.  It is through experience, coaching (indeed, making mistakes) that sound judgment grows. An essay to write? Pop it into a chatbot. The quickest route, the shortcut, is not always the most effective route. Like an encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, or the plethora of online information, research should be taken from more than one source, all of which subjected to critical thinking and the potential for bias borne in mind.

The pace of change is truly bewildering.  We do need to keep up.  We must engage with our young people to guide their learning and keep them safe.

Post Script: all my own work, by the way, not copied and pasted from Albert Inestein.

Mike’s book, Careering is available now with troubador.co.uk. You can contact him at mikepiercy@hotmail.com with your education-related queries.