Return to the oral exam

Aldous Huxley said that human beings create new technologies without any idea of ​​what their impact might be on human nature itself. This reflection is almost trivial when we think of technologies like electricity or the combustion engine. But it is even more significant when new technology alters how we generate, process, and access information. When it ultimately changes our way of thinking and reasoning.

A faculty colleague explained to me that Socrates disliked writing. He said it impaired memory and slowed the advancement of knowledge, since it arises from contrasting opinions through dialogue. I would add that persuasion, the seduction of the intellect, is also reinforced when good oratory conveys not only concepts but also emotions. Writing and the printing press, on the other hand, brought the possibility of thoughtful reflection, the application of reason, tempering passions, and expanding audiences for new ideas. It is the Enlightenment in the face of the obscurantism of the Middle Ages. In the contemporary world, our way of thinking, communicating, and accessing information has been transformed by television, personal computers, the internet, and social media. AI is the most recent stage in this sequence. With all these tools, we have access to more information, quickly and at a lower cost. And it's easier than ever to work with it. The question is: do they help us think better? Make better decisions?

Reason We live in a society of attention, of short and striking messages, something that goes against concentration.

I'm concerned, first of all, that AI tools themselves are presented to us as instruments to save us work and effort. For example, when writing a text. It's forgotten that the task of writing is, in itself, an act of creation and development of thought. The ideas generated by AI are not our own, so their indiscriminate use saps our analytical capacity.

A second concern is the immediacy associated not only with AI but also with information from social media. We live in a society of attention, of brief and compelling messages, something that goes against the power of concentration, which is essential for sound reasoning. Finally, making good decisions requires judgment, which is the sum of knowledge and character. Knowledge of the issues, through experience and training, and the prudential virtues to act while assessing all the consequences of our actions. Will social media and AI help new generations develop judgment?

This is the big question. It's already clear that social media use must be moderated. AI will have to be integrated into our classrooms, ensuring that it doesn't undermine the culture of effort and increase the difficulty younger generations have concentrating. And to ensure we're on the right track, we must follow Socrates' advice. Return to dialogue and public speaking. Return to oral exams.