Episode: 824

Episode Title: Limitations of AI

How far should we trust AI-generated content? Not as far as you might think. Here’s a cautionary tale, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 824 show:

Hello and welcome to The Perna Syndicate today! While it may feel like AI can do anything and everything for us, it can’t. AI can only generate content based on existing content; it cannot make ethical judgments, or ‘create’ anything in the purest sense of the word. It can only generate based on what is already out there.

Not to mention that sometimes, AI “hallucinates” and makes up fake sources to generate content—which can be a real issue. Two lawyers in Manhattan, New York recently learned this the hard way when they used AI to search for cases that set a precedent they were looking for. AI literally made up its own cases and presented them as true. The lawyers took the supposed findings at face value, without digging any deeper, and today they’re in a heap of trouble for it. 

The point is, you still need a human to understand what’s real and what isn’t. AI just can’t do it.

I believe that in the near future, we will come up against the limits of AI. And it will remind us that no matter how shiny and impressive the technology is, it can never replace the human factor. We will always have something AI doesn’t. 

This is a prime teaching moment for students who may think AI is the shortcut that eliminates all their effort. It doesn’t—but it will redirect where that effort is expended.

Thank you for tuning in to The Perna Syndicate today! Tomorrow we will discuss different ways that educators can use AI to their advantage in their classrooms. With this, students will be better equipped for their educational and professional journey. I will see you then!