Chat GPT is a new AI system that sounds so human in conversations that it could host its own radio programs. Reading between its instantly generated, perfectly grammatical lines, people see different visions of the future. Without doubt, Chat GPT is impressive.

Some compare the emergence of Chat GPT with the impact of the iPhone, but that doesn’t do it justice. Chat GPT, as well as the generative AI that will follow and outsmart it, is more disruptive. And yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the world is upon us. On the contrary, Chat GPT, I would argue, might serve to make us more aware of our irreplaceable human qualities.   

Take the creative act, writing in particular, as an example,the AI-powered chatbot always produces something because it has the whole world of online data to draw from. But unlike us, it lacks the consciousness. Thinking is hard, critical thinking even harder, and Chat GPT isn’t good at either. It just restates what has already been said; it is one big recycling machine.

There is another obvious limitation of Chat GPT. Philosopher Harry Frankfurt once claimed: the difference between a bullshitter and a liar is that the liar knows what the truth is,but decides to take the opposite direction; a bullshitter, however, has no regard for the truth at all. The AI scholar Gary Marcus applies this distinction to Chat GPT. He believes that we have reached a critical point where “the price of bullshit reaches zero and people who want to spread misinformation, either politically or just to make a profit, start doing that plentifully”. Unfortunately, Chat GPT will reproduce misinformation from any of its input sources — it is not an intelligent system that tries to balance or weigh different perspectives. In this sense, everything that Chat GPT writes is bullshit.

This is why the so-called AIQ is critical. It is actually an extension and a measurement of our human IQ: our overall knowledge of AI tools, our mastery of clues, and our ethical awareness. Chat GPT is going to change everything and nothing.

Creativity, imagination and ethics — these will all remain unique human domains. It is the AI’s very limitations that will make us appreciate our own.

Home schooling nowadays becomes more popular. Home schooling is the education of children taught at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in a formal setting of public or private school. The advantages of home schooling are plentiful, including the ability to create a positive learning environment without the danger and distractions of public school. What’s more, parents could stay with their children together for more time. However, home schooling also has disadvantages.

First, home schooling may lead to students less communication with others. As we all know, the students who learn in public schools may find a lot of friends. When they meet difficulties, they can get help from others. But as for the students studying at home, the only persons they meet are their parents or tutors. It is certainly true that the children will have less interaction with their peers than those who attend public school on a regular basis.

Second, home schooling may make children not know how to cooperate with others. Children who learn at home always stay with their parents or tutors. When they meet difficulties, they are always turning to and depending on their parents. But the children in public schools may know how to solve the problem with their friends.

What’s more, home schooling may cost much more money than public school. If the parents want to take on the responsibility of educating their children themselves, it’s up to them to finance the entire experience. Learning materials, computer software and books that are otherwise paid for by the public school are needed, in addition to the regular school supplies all parents must purchase for their children. Considering that the parent doing the home schooling is unlikely to manage a full-time job on the side, these expenses are tough for some families to meet.

Our character, basically, is made up of our habits. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny (命运),” as the saying goes.

Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are often unconscious patterns, they constantly daily affect our character and produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness.

As Horace Mann, the great educator, once said, “Habits are like a cable. We weave a rope of it every day and soon it cannot be broken.” I personally do not agree with the last part of his expression. I know habits can be learned and unlearned. But we also know it isn’t a quick fix. It involves a process and a tremendous effort.

Those of us who watched the lunar voyage of Apollo 11 were shocked as we saw the first men walk on the moon and return to earth. But to get there, those astronauts had to break out of the tremendous gravity pull of the earth. More energy was spent in the first few minutes of lift-off, in the first few miles of travel, than was used over the next several days to travel half million miles.

Habits, too, have tremendous gravity pull. However, most people don’t realize or admit it. Getting rid of bad habits really requires great willpower and some changes in our lives. Lift-off takes tremendous effort, but once we break out of the pull of gravity, we can enjoy unprecedented (空前的) freedom.

Like any natural force, gravity pull can work with us or against us. The gravity pull of some of our habits may currently be keeping us from going where we want to go. But it is also gravity pull that keeps our world together and keeps the planets in their orbits and our universe in order. It is a powerful force, and if we use it effectively, we can use the gravity pull of habit to create the order necessary to establish effectiveness in our lives.