Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Welcome to Prompting Curiosity, a podcast for the AI curious. No coding background required. I'm your host, Dr. Shantae Cofield, also known as the Maestro, and I created this show to explore what these AI tools actually are. Really, though, are the files in the computer, how to use them, and what they might mean for how we think, work, create, and move through life. Whether you're skeptical, intrigued, or already experimenting, you're in the right place. All that I ask is that you stay curious. All right, let's get into it.
[00:00:38] Hello, hello, hello, my curious people, and welcome to episode 6060, let's Go. Of Prompting Curiosity. I am your grateful host, the Maestro, and today we are asking and answering, of course, the question, is it cheating if you use AI? I'm actually really stoked about this topic. Uh, it took me a little bit of time to put this. This episode together because I had to really think through things. Um, and I'm excited to be chatting with this today. So this. This is a topic that really speaks to what I had in mind when I started this podcast. Right. Way back when, it was called, uh, what was it? ChatGPT. Curious. Right. I wanted a space to talk about more than just the actual tech. I wanted a space to, you know, discuss and talk about and riff on how it impacts our lives, how it influences things, how it changes and challenges. Just things. Right. Something that I said very early on in one of my. My earlier episodes, like Epis, which was titled, Is Chat GPT killing our Creativity? Um, but I. My prediction at the time was that AI would hold up a mirror and ask us to judge how we've been doing things and why things are the way that they are.
[00:01:45] Right. You know, as a country that values the outcome more than the process, that celebrates shortcuts, that worships money, worships money that doesn't support art, that is obsessed with capitalism and was founded on fucking white supremacy.
[00:01:59] We shouldn't be surprised when students want to use AI for every single assignment. Yes. All of those things that I just said, they are the logical outcome. Yes, it is that students want to use AI. They don't give a fuck about what the assignment is. They're just like, let me get this thing done. Let me get the outcome. We shouldn't be surprised about that. And that's exactly what AI is doing, right? Is holding up this mirror and being like, at least I hope that it is. I do believe that it's doing that. I do. I think that some of the answers and solutions that are being posed and proposed, uh, realizing that this is what's happening. No, I think that people are just looking. They're kind of like saying things and like, trying to fix the wrong problem.
[00:02:36] Uh, but I do think it is holding up that mirror. So before I get into my thoughts before, rather I should say before I share my thoughts on today's episode, I want to encourage and ask you to share your thoughts about this topic with me. I do love hearing from you and, you know, just in general, but I would really love to hear from you about this particular topic, uh, and your thoughts on AI and quote unquote cheating or anything, you know, AI and anything especially like the more. The bigger kind of social topics. But would love to hear from you. So let's jump into it because the outline is a little bit longer. Uh, and we'll cover. We're going to jump into rather our main topic.
[00:03:15] Is it cheating if you use AI? Juicy. Right? Juicy topic. So this episode inspired. Was inspired by a podcast episode that Lex was listening to. Um, it's like, I believe it was Adam, Adam Grant and Bernie Brown's podcast.
[00:03:30] I didn't listen to the episode, but she did and she liked it. And so I'm not gonna link it, but I trust you to be able to find it. Right. Have Claude help you. That's fine. Uh, so let's start off with the definition, right? A definition about of cheating. I liked Wikipedia's definition. Yes, I went with Wikipedia. Um, and we're gonna go with that and I'll ask why I liked it. So according to Wikipedia, cheating is the act of behaving dishonestly, breaking established rules, or violating trust to gain an unfair advantage or secure a personal benefit.
[00:03:59] So part of the reason, a large part of the reason that I like this definition is that it isn't siloed to just one use case, right?
[00:04:06] We can see this definition as speaking to cheating in sport, cheating in a relationship, and it encompasses all the things, right?
[00:04:13] So if you look at the definition again and we ask our original question, is it cheating if you use AI? Right. The question then becomes, is, if you use AI, are you behaving dishonestly, breaking established rules, or violating trust to gain an unfair advantage or secure personal benefit?
[00:04:28] So part of the reason I want this definition, and part of the. Is because I have a problem, I'll say that way, is because I think there's a problem with the original question of cheating. And that is because cheating, as we all, you know, know it, it largely needs a rule book and a referee of some sort, like our, Our very Like colloquially understood and agreed upon and a definition of cheating. Right. We. It comes from a school and sports framing, right. Where there is an agreed upon set of rules and if you violate them, it gives you an unfair advantage. Right.
[00:05:00] I personally think the AI discussion is more nuanced than that, which is why I went with the Wikipedia definition. So I'm going to ask that you don't shoot from the hip here. Right. Uh, and that you take a moment and really sit with the question of is, you know, before you answer it is. Let me back that up. I'm going to ask that you take a moment and really sit with the question before answering it. Right. And that question again, is, is it cheating if you use AI?
[00:05:27] So I think that, you know, folks that maybe have a quick answer of yes and like, yeah, of course it is. It partially comes from, like I've said in previous episodes, uh, the fact that AI seems to be the perfect punching bag for everyone's very justified frustration with the initiatification of literally right. AI is just. It's a easy target. Not everyone has a use case for it. It makes mistakes. It's being forced on us. People are losing jobs because of it. The worst people ever are in charge of it and are making a ton of money from it. Right. There are purported environmental impacts, namely regarding water.
[00:06:03] All, uh, Right. Data centers are being built in areas that disproportionately affect black and brown people.
[00:06:08] Right. And yeah, we're also seeing reported rising home energy bills. Right. It is very easy to hate it, especially if you have never tried it.
[00:06:16] Absolutely. But clearly I'm on the other side of it. I really do enjoy AI, and I think that the technology itself is incredible.
[00:06:24] And, you know, I spoke with substance. I am way more concerned about its hacking capabilities than I am about its environmental impact. So, you know, uh, but also. Yes, right. The worst people are in charge of it.
[00:06:37] Image and video, AI generated image, uh, and video are very problematic to me.
[00:06:43] And we are absolutely in an AI bubble. So, like, lots of bad things about it, for sure.
[00:06:47] All right. But perhaps my most unpopular opinion, as, uh, you know, the wannabe influencers say unpopular opinion. That's never like, actually unpopular. But my. What I think is unpopular in some circles is that I actually don't care if you use AI. I really don't. I do not give a you like I use it. I. I not like, oh my God, you're the worst. Right. Like, I know it's become, you know, a backlash badge of honor to say, I don't Use AI for anything. And that I do as part of my work. And I see that, and sometimes I'm like, you know, thinking in my head, well, maybe you should, because AI can be incredibly efficient. Uh, and I've said this 11 billion times. I care about that efficiency in terms of making time to do more stuff that I love to do more stuff that is more human.
[00:07:30] Not in terms of how productive I can be or you can be so that you can go and do more work. No, it's more. It's. Spend less time doing stuff you don't really like and more time doing stuff that you really want to do. Right. And the stuff that you don't, you know, less time doing stuff that you really don't have to be doing.
[00:07:44] Right. But circling back to today's main topic, along with the definition of cheating, right. If you use AI, are you behaving dishonestly, breaking established rules or violating trust to gain an unfair advantage or secure personal benefit?
[00:07:57] My thoughts, it depends. Right.
[00:08:02] I think that disclosure, especially voluntary disclosure, is very nice. Um, but you should definitely be disclosing it if you're asked, um, are you breaking established rules?
[00:08:12] Um, maybe. But, like, are the rules fair?
[00:08:15] Are you violating trust? This part of the definition, I think, speaks more to, like, relationships, to be honest. Um, and I think when folks think of cheating and AI, they're thinking of, like, taking shortcuts and they're thinking of unfair. Unfair advantages. More so than the trust piece. And we're going to come back to the trust piece in a little bit. But, you know, when it comes to this gating an unfair advantage, Right. Is.
[00:08:37] Is there an actual unfair advantage to be gained if everyone has access to this thing? Right. One of my biggest concerns is that AI and I said. I said this before I even had this podcast. I did a single episode, um, an episode, a video. When ChatGPT rolled out, I made a YouTube video. And my. One of my biggest concerns that I expressed in that video. And this is years ago, so three years ago, Right. One of my biggest concerns is that AI becomes something that is only for rich people.
[00:09:04] They just make it so expensive. And, you know, thankfully, open weight models are protecting against this. And like, the. The quote, unquote, free market is protecting against this as these companies battle against each other and, like, just need more people. And so they're like, well, we keep the price low and then here's new model. And the other company's like, well, I guess we got to do the same thing. Um, right. But I still think about it and honestly, it would be terrible if that were to become a reality where it's only for rich people. Yeah, this is a big unfair advantage to be gained.
[00:09:33] But would people consider cheating then? No, because the rich people are making the rules.
[00:09:38] Right. Which, what I like most about this question is that in my opinion, it makes you stop and think, what is actually cheating? What does it mean? Who decides what cheating is? Who gets a pass?
[00:09:51] Does it apply to every situation?
[00:09:54] How are other things that are currently being done any different?
[00:09:58] Why do we actually care?
[00:10:01] What role does the system at large that we are all living within? What role does that play? All right, and that second to last question, why do we actually care?
[00:10:09] I think that, uh, people care if someone uses AI and they kind of lean into this cheating kind of mindset is because of that unfair advantage component.
[00:10:18] Uh, and it's been my experience that folks care the most when something directly impacts them or they believe that it will directly impact them.
[00:10:24] People tend to take a kind of a zero sum approach to things and make it like sport, which we do have established rules in order to crown someone the victor. Right. But that's not real life.
[00:10:33] Right. And I think that I, I think that people kind of couch it in the, couch their, their discussion in this kind of sport version of cheating, when in reality that's not what they're concerned about.
[00:10:45] They'll express this and maybe it comes out, it's easier to articulate, like, well, there's cheating. It's a shortcut. I'm like, how do you fucking care? What does it matter? Is it actually cheating? Uh, I think the bigger thing is, and we're gonna get to that in a second, is the trust is the kind of trust component. Right? But my fan, My final answer for is it cheating if you use AI? It depends also. Um, I don't give a, um. But the question that I think is. Or another question I think is worth asking as you're thinking about this and having this discussion about cheating is. And I think this might get kind of subconsciously tied in. Right? The question is, is someone less trustworthy if they use AI? And again, my answer here is it depends on.
[00:11:29] The first thing that it depends on is how they're using it. Slash what they're using it for.
[00:11:34] Right? So the same disclosure consideration comes here, right? Uh, largely this, like, uh, like those, like very, of course, cases where you're like, if someone is saying that they have expertise and they are just parroting and copying and basting AI, and I'm not disclosing that then, yes, they are objectively less trustworthy, like it goes without saying, a slightly more nuanced take, and one that ties directly specifically into my line of work is using AI for any kind of copy. Again, namely, when it's not disclosed and when you're just taking things verbatim. Right. If someone very clearly used AI for their copy, to me, it's not so much that the person is less trustworthy because they quote, unquote, cheated in the traditional sense. To me, it is that I don't feel I can trust them to get me the outcome I want.
[00:12:22] Right? Not because I immediately think that they're trying to scam me.
[00:12:26] Right. But rather because I'm not certain that they understand my specific situation because they just use AI to give an answer. Right. I am. I'm not sure that they understand my specific situation, and I am unsure if they'll take the time to do so or if, like their copy, they will just outsource it to AI. I could ask AI myself.
[00:12:49] Um, to me, trust is tied in with a prediction about future behavior. So, no, they're not. This person is not less trustworthy from a moral standpoint if they use AI for their copy. Not at all. But from a predicting future behavior standpoint.
[00:13:05] Right. If they're fully outsourcing to AI, a task that I believe personal care is an integral component of, I don't trust them to get me the outcome that I want. And that's not hiring them.
[00:13:18] Right. So I'm looking at my outline. I'm like, wow, I actually flew through this because we're just about done. Uh, but it took me, despite the fact it only took me like 13 minutes to articulate that. It took me quite some time to outline this episode. And I like that. I think it's largely because it did for force what first it did force, because the next one I'm going to say is verbal. It did force verbal accuracy.
[00:13:42] Uh, and it made me think about, you know, what the core issue really was and what, if anything, I actually had a problem with and why.
[00:13:51] Right. So, you know, working through this episode definitely solidified my resolve. It'll continue to solidify my resolve that AI should be used as an adjunct, or AI is best used as an adjunct, not a replacement for those tasks that are uniquely human and that we want a human to be performed. Performing.
[00:14:10] Might those tap. Well, my voice cracked. Sorry. Might those tasks change over time?
[00:14:15] I think that it is probably. And by probably, I mean a mathematical certainty that they. Those tasks will change. Right. Because they Already are. And the things that we're willing to have a robot perform, and we're like, oh, actually, it's totally fine, right? And I. And those are the discussions that I want to keep having. So please Write in text me 7. What is it? 3107. 372345. DM me. I want to hear what you have to say.
[00:14:40] All right, let's get to the last part here and then wrap it up. So how I used AI this week. Each week, if you're new here, welcome. Each week I share an ep, a, uh, an episode. Each week I share a quick example of how I used AI that week. So this week I use Claude to do a reverse search and find an assembly. Find the assembly instructions for my bestie, Jill, for her L shaped desk. So I wound up not actually doing anything to the desk. Um, but I needed to see the assembly instructions so I could plan out how I would modify it should she decide.
[00:15:10] Uh, she wanted to switch it from left facing desk to a right facing desk. So, like, some things you can do that innately and other ones you have to, like, MacGyver it. And I was like, okay, I can totally MacGyver it, but I need to see the specs and the blueprints. Uh, so I had her send me a picture of the desk, and I literally just put it into Claude and said, please find the exact make and model of this desk and the name and the building specs and the assembly instructions. And it gave me an answer. It was super fast. Um, the first return was super close, but not the exact desk. Um, though it did get the brand and the collection correct. Uh, so I just corrected one thing about it. I was like, hey, actually the desk is like a. Like, it has like a high low feature on it. Um, and then from that simple correction, it was able to find the exact correct make and model and the assembly instructions, which was great, was super fast, was super easy, and, you know, less clicking than the traditional reverse image search that you can do with Google, which maybe you didn't know you could do, but you can. Um, though my guess is that, you know, now that Google, uh, has Gemini integrated and you get those, like, summary AI summary responses first. My guess is that you could do all of that directly inside of Google with Gemini. Um, but y' all know I'm a Claude, Stan, at least for now.
[00:16:24] All right, that, my friends, is officially all for today. Hopefully you found this episode helpful, and if you did, or maybe you found it interesting, consider sharing it with someone who you know is curious about AI. This was a really fun one and I would love if, you know, for folks that are new to the podcast, this is their first exposure. Uh, it's cool to talk about the tech side of things, but I know that can be a little bit overwhelming for people. And this stuff right here is the stuff I really get excited about talking about. So, you know, to have this as someone's first exposure to the podcast would be. Would be really cool. So if, you know, you got someone who's interested in it, don't send me anybody that's just trying to argue. But if you have someone that's interested, do me a solid and, uh, give them a share. Don't forget I have a companion newsletter and blog, the Curious Companion, that drops every Thursday. And it's basically the podcast episode in text format. So if you prefer to read or you just want a written record of the things, you can join the newsletter, you can check out the blog, just head over to crowncuriosity.com newsletter or.
[00:17:23] Or keep it simple and just check out the link. Link suck plural in the show notes. All right, as always, endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until we chat again next Thursday, stay curious.
