It seems as if “AI” (Artificial Intelligence) has definitely taken root. Not being computer savvy, but being curious, I looked up a definition for AI.
I found, “AI is the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making.”
You can’t go a day without hearing about AI. The “Mike Drop” logo for my column was created by AI (I didn’t do it). So, I guess I can see its use in certain settings. However, I doubt that it can fix my serving woes, or teach me how to do a heel-and-toe downshift.
Given that the school-age children of today are way more computer-literate than I am, I can see some dark clouds on the horizon. For sure, AI is writing papers and reports for high school and college students.
Indeed, a not-yet-retired teacher friend recently asked me, “How will I be able to tell the difference between something that the student actually wrote, and something that AI generated?” I replied, “Easy. The item that the student wrote will have grammar and spelling mistakes. The AI item won’t.”
I have a friend who owns a property in Jefferson County, where he built two clay tennis courts. He encourages my tennis buddies and I to play there, which we do, playing doubles a couple of times a week.
Our group has an interloper. Someone in our group had a weak moment and invited Jerry (not his real name) to play with us. And, he has hung around, much like a stray cat that you feed who decides that he likes your place.
Jerry spends the school year in Florida, where he supposedly is in the academic world. He stays in a cabin in the area during the summer. He is a self-proclaimed guru on AI. I looked up his resume; it’s longer than the United States Constitution.
I am wary of long, overblown resumes. In my mind, the longer the resume, the more baloney it contains. People who really know what they are doing don’t need to embellish. The world will soon recognize your talent.
Nonetheless, Jerry has to spout off about AI whenever he has the chance. He even tried to get us to buy a book he wrote. To which I replied, “No thanks. I get my charcoal started with newspaper.”
Jerry is equally annoying while on the tennis court. He bounces around like a squirrel on Red Bull. When he’s the server’s partner, stationed at the net, he loves bounce over to the middle of the court, and pick off the receiver’s crosscourt return, followed by a cackling laugh that makes you want to turn a friendly game of doubles into WWE Wrestlemania.
Recently, his partner was serving, at the end of a close set, and I was receiving in the ad, or left-hand court. Hitting a crosscourt return of serve is the norm, though Jerry may be waiting to feast on it. I looked at my partner, a fellow retired Spanish teacher, and quietly said in Spanish, “I’m going down the line,” though hitting a backhand return of serve down the line is not easy.
The serve comes, Jerry darts toward the middle, and I hit a clean backhand winner down the line. Two points later, my partner whispers to me, again in Spanish, “Do it again.”
Number-two.. down the line, another winner, and game and set. I look at Jerry, smile, and say, “Gee, I guess AI didn’t tell you that I could hit a backhand down the line.”
Moral of the story—If we had more “RI”—Real Intelligence—then, we would need less AI. I, for one, am in favor of having people think for themselves.
