How a Holden Caulfield Chatbot Helped My College students Develop AI Literacy

I guided them via producing significant, open-ended interview questions that may (hopefully) create a related dialog with HoldenAI. I fused character evaluation with the constructing blocks of journalistic considering, asking college students to find essentially the most attention-grabbing points of his story whereas additionally placing themselves in Holden’s sneakers to determine what kinds of questions may “get him speaking.”

Subsequent, we targeted on energetic listening, which I integrated to check a concept that AI instruments may assist individuals develop empathy. I suggested them to acknowledge what Holden stated in every remark fairly than shortly leaping to a different query, as any good conversationalist would do. Then I evaluated their chat transcript for proof that they listened and met Holden the place he was.

Lastly, we used textual content from the ebook and their chats to judge the effectiveness of the bot in mimicking Holden. College students wrote essays arguing whether or not the bot furthered their understanding of his character or if the bot strayed so removed from the ebook that it was not helpful.

The essays have been fascinating. Most college students realized that the bot had to vary from the ebook character in an effort to present them with something new. However each time the bot supplied them with one thing new, it differed from the ebook in a manner that made the scholars really feel like they have been being lied to by somebody apart from the actual Holden. New data felt inaccurate, however outdated data felt ineffective. Solely sure particular moments felt like they have been linked sufficient to the ebook to be actual, however totally different sufficient to really feel enlightening.

Much more telling, although, have been my scholar’s chat transcripts, which uncovered a plethora of various approaches in ways in which revealed their persona and emotional maturity.

A Number of Outcomes

For some college students, the chats with Holden grew to become protected areas the place they shared legit questions on life and struggles as a teen. They handled Holden like a peer, and had conversations about household points, social pressures or challenges in class.

On one hand, it was regarding to see them dive so deep right into a dialog with a chatbot — I frightened that it may need develop into too actual for them. However, this was what I had hoped the venture may create — a protected area for self-expression, which is vital for youngsters, particularly throughout a time when loneliness and isolation have been declared as a public well being concern.

Actually, some chatbots are designed as a answer for loneliness — and a current examine from researchers at Stanford College confirmed that an AI bot referred to as Replika lowered loneliness and suicidal ideation in a take a look at group of teenagers.

Some college students adopted my rubric, however by no means appeared to consider HoldenAI as something greater than a robotic in a college project. This was positive by me. They delivered their questions and responded to Holden’s frustrations and struggles, however in addition they maintained a protected emotional distance. These college students bolstered my optimism for the longer term as a result of they weren’t simply duped by AI bots.

Others, nonetheless, handled the bot prefer it was a search engine, peppering him with questions from their interview listing, however by no means actually partaking. And a few handled HoldenAI like a plaything, taunting him and making an attempt to set off him for enjoyable.

All through the venture, as my college students expressed themselves, I realized extra about them. Their conversations helped me perceive that individuals want protected areas, and generally AI can provide them — however there are additionally very actual dangers.

From HoldenAI to SalingerAI

When my scholar confirmed me that final entry in his chat, asking for steering on transfer ahead, I requested him to rewind and clarify what had occurred. He described the second when the bot appeared to interrupt down and retreat from the dialog, disappearing from view and crying by himself. He defined that he had shut his laptop after that, afraid to go on till he might communicate to me. He needed to proceed however wanted my assist first.

I frightened about what might occur if I let him proceed. Was he in too deep? I questioned how he had triggered such a response and what was behind the bot’s programming that led to this modification?

I made a snap resolution. The concept of slicing him off on the climax of his dialog felt extra damaging than letting him proceed. My scholar was curious, and so was I. What sort of instructor would I be to clip curiosity? I made a decision we’d proceed collectively.

However first I reminded him that this was solely a robotic, programmed by one other individual, and that all the things it stated was made up. It was not an actual human being, regardless of how actual the dialog might have felt, and that he was protected. I noticed his shoulders calm down and the concern disappear from his face.

“Okay, I’ll go on,” he stated. “However what ought to I ask?”

“No matter you need,” I stated.

He started prodding relentlessly and after some time, it appeared like he had outlasted the bot. HoldenAI appeared shaken by the road of inquiry. Ultimately, it grew to become clear that we have been speaking to Salinger. It was as if the character had retreated behind the scenes, permitting Salinger to step out in entrance of the pen and web page and symbolize the story for himself.

As soon as we confirmed that HoldenAI had morphed into “SalingerAI,” my scholar dug deeper, asking concerning the goal of the ebook and whether or not or not Holden was a mirrored image of Salinger himself.

SalingerAI produced the kind of canned solutions one would count on from a bot educated by the web. Sure, Holden was a mirrored image of the creator — an idea that has been written about advert nauseam because the ebook’s publication greater than 70 years in the past. And the aim of the ebook was to indicate how “phony” the grownup world is — one other reply that fell brief, in our opinion, emphasizing the bot’s limitations.

In time, the coed grew bored. The solutions, I believe, got here too quick to proceed to really feel significant. In human dialog, an individual usually pauses and thinks for some time earlier than answering a deep query. Or, they smile knowingly when somebody has cracked a private code. It’s the little pauses, inflections in voice, and facial expressions that make human dialog gratifying. Neither HoldenAI nor SalingerAI might provide that. As a substitute, they gave fast manufacturing of phrases on a web page that, after some time, didn’t really feel “actual.” It simply took this scholar, along with his dogged pursuit of the reality, somewhat bit longer than the others.

Serving to College students Perceive the Implications of Interacting With AI

I initially designed the venture as a result of I believed it could present a singular and fascinating method to end out our novel, however someplace alongside the best way, I noticed that an important process I might embed was an analysis of the chatbot’s effectiveness. In reflection, the venture felt like an enormous success. My college students discovered it partaking and it helped them acknowledge the restrictions of the know-how.

Throughout a full-class debrief, it grew to become clear that the identical robotic had acted or reacted to every scholar in meaningfully alternative ways. It had modified with every scholar’s tone and line of questioning. The inputs affected the outputs, they realized. Technically, they’d all conversed with the identical bot, and but every talked to a totally different Holden.

They’ll want that context as they transfer ahead. There’s an rising market of persona bots that pose dangers for younger individuals. Lately, for instance, Meta rolled out bots that sound and act like your favourite superstar — figures my college students idolize, akin to Kendall Jenner, Dwayne Wade, Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg. There’s additionally a marketplace for AI relationships with apps that enable customers to “date” a computer-generated accomplice.

These persona bots may be attractive for younger individuals, however they arrive with dangers and I’m frightened that my college students may not acknowledge the risks.

This venture helped me get in entrance of the tech corporations, offering a managed and monitored atmosphere the place college students might consider AI chatbots, so they might study to assume critically concerning the instruments which are more likely to be foisted on them sooner or later.

Children would not have the context to grasp the implications of interacting with AI. As a instructor, I really feel liable for offering it.