Interesting analogy. I believe regarding addictiveness they may be compared.
> a shift of skills away from things that mattered more in the past toward other things that are not measured/perceived by the older generation.
Do you have any ideas what these things might be? As someone in his twenties, I’m sometimes saddened by observing that some of the skills I acquired over a long time (e.g., writing, coding) may become obsolete or won’t be respected anymore just now that I‘m finally getting good at them.
Totally agree that it requires struggle and I did not say you should use it to just get the solution. What I think one can do is use it more like a personalized textbook which you can ask any question. It can also provide you with problems just at the right level for you and judge the solution. Now, of course for many students it is tempting to just get the solution if provided with the means but they can be taught to use an LLM in a didactically useful way.
However, in the role of personal teachers they may allow especially our young generations to reach a deeper understanding of maths (and also other topics) much quicker than before. If everyone can have a personal explanation machine to very efficiently satisfy their thirst for knowledge this may well lead to more good mathematicians.
Of course this heavily depends on whether we can get LLMs‘ outputs to be accurate enough.
I think it really depends on the how. Engaging with it in a socratic debate-style argument [1] if no fellow human is available might very much support your thought process. On the other hand, just obtaining the solution to one‘s homework/problem/task/… won‘t be very beneficial for one’s development. The latter is sadly much more convenient and probably accounts for most of the usage. I remember a saying about the mind being a muscle: in order to keep it in good shape, you have to use it actively.
Thank you for the good laugh! This whole thread is peak satire.
Although, be careful. It reminds me of the foreword to a shortstory someone shared on HN recently: „[…] Read it and laugh, because it is very funny, and at the moment it is satire. If you’re still around forty years from now, do the existing societal equivalent of reading it again, and you may find yourself laughing out of the other side of your mouth (remember mouths?). It will probably be much too conservative.“ — https://www.baen.com/Chapters/9781618249203/9781618249203___...
> a shift of skills away from things that mattered more in the past toward other things that are not measured/perceived by the older generation.
Do you have any ideas what these things might be? As someone in his twenties, I’m sometimes saddened by observing that some of the skills I acquired over a long time (e.g., writing, coding) may become obsolete or won’t be respected anymore just now that I‘m finally getting good at them.