How to beat ChatGPT?

In the hallowed halls of my childhood school, there echoed the stern voice of our math teacher, a woman whose expertise and accomplishments in the field of mathematics were nothing short of astounding. With a PhD and a reputation for mentoring students who went on to win gold medals in international math and informatics Olympiads, she was a force to be reckoned with. And yet, despite her reverence for numbers and formulas, she had a peculiar rule in her classroom: no calculators allowed.

Learn how to learn

This rule wasn't born out of some technophobic impulse; rather, it was a testament to the importance of the learning process. Our teacher believed that true understanding could only be achieved by grappling with problems and working through them step by step, without the shortcuts that calculators provided. This lesson, though rooted in the world of mathematics, is strikingly applicable to the challenges we face today with the rise of generative AI like ChatGPT.

Generative AI, or artificial intelligence that can generate human-like text and content, is a powerful tool that has the potential to reshape the way we learn, communicate, and grow. But like any tool, it comes with its own set of risks and pitfalls. When wielded without care or understanding, generative AI can produce results that are confidently wrong, leading its users down a path of misinformation and confusion.

So, how can we beat ChatGPT? The answer is not to defeat it, but to embrace it as a partner in our pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. As with the calculators in my math class, generative AI should be used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, our innate ability to learn and think critically.

Degenerative AI

The first step in this process is to recognize the strengths and limitations of generative AI. While it can provide us with valuable insights and information, it should never be our sole source of knowledge. Instead, we must cultivate our own critical thinking skills, sifting through the content it generates to identify what is useful and what is not. By doing so, we become better consumers of the information that AI provides.

Next, we must develop our creative capacities, learning to use generative AI as a collaborator rather than a crutch. In this capacity, ChatGPT can serve as an invaluable brainstorming partner, helping us explore new ideas and perspectives that we may not have considered on our own. As we engage with AI-generated content, we should be prepared to challenge and build upon its ideas, using it as a springboard for our own unique contributions.

Finally, it is crucial that we maintain a sense of humility and curiosity in our interactions with generative AI. We must be willing to learn from it, but also to recognize that we, too, have much to teach. As we forge ahead into this new era of human-AI collaboration, we must remain open to the possibility of growth and change, adapting our skills and knowledge to stay ahead of the curve.

Front Row Lessons

My math teacher was also an exceptional mentor in life. Admittedly, I was far from being the star pupil. Struggling to grasp the complexities of her lessons, I naively assumed that sitting in the front row would somehow enhance my comprehension.

One day, as she meticulously derived a convoluted formula on the blackboard, she intentionally introduced an error. Casting a sidelong glance at the gold medalist, she found no reaction. Emboldened, I raised my hand and cautiously ventured, "Professor, I may be mistaken, but I believe there's a simple order of operations error here, which could lead us to the wrong conclusion." Her response was enlightening: "It's interesting that the student with the lowest grades spotted this mistake, while the gold and silver medalists remained oblivious."

She continued, "I want you all to understand that I'm not just teaching mathematics. My goal is to instill in you the habit of questioning authority and verifying information with the best of your knowledge."

In the end, the question of how to beat ChatGPT is, in fact, a question of how to learn and grow alongside it. By embracing AI as a tool for self-improvement, fostering our critical thinking and creativity, and maintaining an attitude of humble curiosity, we can harness the power of generative AI to become better, more knowledgeable versions of ourselves. And in doing so, we will not only have "beaten" ChatGPT, but also transcended the limitations of our own human potential.

So, take a front row seat, and get ready to embark on a transformative journey. Remember one can not fully understand math or AI, but with consistent practice  you can get used to it.

"So we beat on, boats against the current." The Great Gatsby.