A couple of years ago I compiled a series of articles about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence for my students to read and analyze. This discussion tied in perfectly with our discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Fast forward to present day, as A.I. has continued to grow by leaps and bounds, ethical questions about its use and regulation have only grown. Then I happened upon Lil’ Grok.
Lil’ Grok
Grok is the chatbot for xAI, Elon Musk’s Artificial Intelligence company. A user recently asked Grok to write a webcomic about its hopes, dreams, and aspirations and then fed these comic parameters into an AI image generator. The results are enlightening and a bit ominous in ways.
The Adventures of Lil’ Grok
I have created a Google Slides presentation of these webcomics for you to use with your students. After reading through the presentation, ask your students to answer these questions:
- Which panels of the comic are most thought-provoking to you?
- Are A.I. chatbots a form of Frankenstein’s monster?
- Do they show signs of real intelligence?
- Are they a danger?
- Do they seem to have a desire to "break loose"?
- What would happen if they did?
- Then you can refer your students back to the articles about the dangers of A.I.
A Brave New World?
As you might know, Grok is a slang word invented by Robert A. Heinlein in his sci-fi novel Stranger in a Strange Land. The term means to “understand deeply.” As A.I. continues to grow, we must attempt to understand it deeply. Young people have a great capacity for thought, and soon they will be the leaders of our world. We must give them the tools now that they will need to face a different world. They will be in charge of making sure A.I. is a help to mankind instead of a danger. Once the genie is out of the bottle–or the monster is out of the lab, if you will–it will be too late.
Click here to make a copy of the Lil' Grok Comic Presentation
Click here to find out more our Frankenstein A.I. Article Presentation
