LLMs are less replacing the need for log tables, and more replacing the need to understand why you need a log table. Less replacing a calculator and more replacing the fundamental understanding of math. Sure, you could argue that it doesn’t matter if people know math, and in the end you might be right. But given that ChatGPT can and will spit out random numbers instead of a real answer, I’d rather have someone who actually understands math be designing buildings, people who actually understand anatomy and medicine being surgeons. Sure, a computer science guy cheating with ChatGPT through school and his entire career probably won’t be setting anyone back other than himself and the companies that hire him, but they aren’t the only ones using the “shortcut” that is ChatGPT
That wasn’t my experience in school, but there’s a good chance you were just in an introductory class or similar. However, that doesn’t change anything about my argument. If you need the log of something, you knew that you needed to look up the log in a table to solve the problem. ChatGPT removes the need to even understand that you can use a log to solve a problem, and instead spits out an answer. Yes, people can use ChatGPT to accelerate learning, as one would a calculator, and in those instances I think it’s somewhat valuable if you completely ignore the fact that it will lie to your face and claim to be telling you the truth. However, anecdotally I know quite a few folks that are using it as a replacement for learning/thinking, which is the danger people are talking about.
LLMs are less replacing the need for log tables, and more replacing the need to understand why you need a log table. Less replacing a calculator and more replacing the fundamental understanding of math. Sure, you could argue that it doesn’t matter if people know math, and in the end you might be right. But given that ChatGPT can and will spit out random numbers instead of a real answer, I’d rather have someone who actually understands math be designing buildings, people who actually understand anatomy and medicine being surgeons. Sure, a computer science guy cheating with ChatGPT through school and his entire career probably won’t be setting anyone back other than himself and the companies that hire him, but they aren’t the only ones using the “shortcut” that is ChatGPT
I was never taught what log tables actually are. Anytime logarithms were brought it, it was just “type it in to your calculator and it will tell you”
That wasn’t my experience in school, but there’s a good chance you were just in an introductory class or similar. However, that doesn’t change anything about my argument. If you need the log of something, you knew that you needed to look up the log in a table to solve the problem. ChatGPT removes the need to even understand that you can use a log to solve a problem, and instead spits out an answer. Yes, people can use ChatGPT to accelerate learning, as one would a calculator, and in those instances I think it’s somewhat valuable if you completely ignore the fact that it will lie to your face and claim to be telling you the truth. However, anecdotally I know quite a few folks that are using it as a replacement for learning/thinking, which is the danger people are talking about.