Late last week my seventh-grader son and I briefly talked about three news items that I thought would matter more seriously to adults as days and weeks go by. I am not quite sure we would follow up the same conversation, but I hope we would not. I believe knowing major details of the three reports were enough for him to submit those seemingly regular Araling Panlipunan requirements called balitaan. For a moment I was afraid; I must have been a sad bore to him, and I hope he would forgive me for not allowing him to know more particulars when follow-up stories of those reports become available.
My son heard the first news: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is after Russia launched a bloody, vicious, brutal war against Ukraine a few months ago. Many countries have expressed their support for the ICC’s decision, although some fear that the conflict between the two countries will worsen.
Second news: The effects of the oil spill on the shores are expanding and more local government units (LGUs) are alerted to the possible oil leakage in their areas. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources previously reminded local governments of their duties to protect the seas amid the disaster. Meanwhile, various groups of environmentalists have launched projects in collaboration with the LGUs to alleviate the oil spill problem. It is expected that the fishermen in the affected areas will have more difficulty in how they will face the extreme hardship of making a living at sea. Approximately 6,000 liters of oil and water mixed with other contaminated material were collected as of last week by the Philippine Coast Guard during the cleanup in Oriental Mindoro where the severe oil spill occurred.
The third news: The Philippine National Police (PNP) is said to have strong evidence of the alleged mastermind in the killings that occurred in 2019, including the killing of Governor Roel Degamo. Ongoing is the investigation of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group against Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. in connection with the ambush of the governor and others. The PNP spokesperson did not provide exact details to the public about the evidence as a precaution in the current operation of the police in the province. On March 10, Teves’ properties were raided in Purok 4, Barangay Poblacion, Basay, Negros Oriental, and various types of firearms were confiscated, a few days after the assassination of Governor Degamo.
How the first and last items’ finales would be written soon are said to have a lasting impression to anti-crime efforts of authorities, criminologists, advocates of peace and order, even the academic. But the second news is too unsettling. It must end ASAP. State-of-the-art equipment and excellent disaster management are crucial for controlling the oil spill locations. Rapid action by authorities with the help of cause-oriented environmentalists and experts are needed; otherwise, the plaguing effects of the present state of oil to the environment can only deepen.
And what were related developments reaching ChatGPT?
Yesterday I was a resource speaker on the topic “Artificial Intelligence vs Natural Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges of AI Adaptability” and unveiled a 37-slide PowerPoint presentation to an attentive crowd of Grades 9 and 10 students as well as some teachers in Sto. Niño School of Muntinlupa. Crowd inputs and questions were immense and the five student reactors’ pieces profound. They saw screenshots of my conversation with ChatGPT about strong leaders Vladimir Putin and Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., among others. I mentioned the following observations on the manners of answers by https://chat.openai.com/chat: ChatGPT had correct, accurate information; was unaware (no information) that ICC already issued arrest warrant against Putin; no apologies, not grateful of the correction; did not mind a grammar lapse, proceeded with correct understanding of a question; quickly “read” (in less than 5 seconds) all the 16 previous Op-Ed articles I wrote at tutubi.ph and accurately answered the question of scopes of my column Inside Academe.
Seminar attendees agreed with me when I concluded in part that in AI, we win some and lose some. About 15 of the participants said they tried using ChatGPT before they met me in the seminar. One said she was satisfied with the AI-powered tool when it “gave” her the design she needed. (There goes the question now: Who owns the art that AI generates?) And I remembered my son saying he and many of his classmates were already using ChatGPT despite its launch less than four months ago.
We should accept good human inventions and this early, Big Tech races to adapt to AI. Students, however, should not stop using natural intelligence which is the ability to apply logic, proofs of which are mental activities such as thinking, learning (from experience), understanding simple and intricate concepts, re/solving issues and concerns, making decisions, retaining and sharing (communicating) information. Now what? Natural or artificial intelligence? With so many things to learn, why not choose both?
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
