The Grind ‘Dear Boomer’: AI and Changing Times
Fifty years ago, I rode my Kawasaki from Portola Valley onto campus, usually squeaking into class just in time. While much has changed since then, one thing has remained constant: our humanness. We still search for meaning and need connection. We still have dreams, and we still make mistakes.
As I’ve changed careers and locations over the past 50 years, I’ve never stopped appreciating and observing my fellow human beings. So, ‘Ask Boomer’ anything. Surprise me. Life is short. Let’s make the most of it.
On Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity
What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI) — should students be using it or does it compromise academic integrity? AI is a universal game-changer and is here to stay. However, ‘artificial’ means ‘not authentic.’ AI cannot understand our intentions or motivations, which is why human input and guidance are crucial.
As a student, AI is great for research and technical tasks, but not for expressing your own voice. If you don’t make the work your own, you won’t achieve confidence in your skills. A law professor friend of mine said he can always tell if a student’s paper was generated by AI. ‘It reads like the taste of those mashed potato flakes you get in a box,’ he said.
Personally, I dislike both ChatGPT and autocorrect because I rarely like the suggestions they offer. Besides, would you send an AI-generated letter to someone you love? Any astute person will catch the counterfeit. As for integrity, if you compromise your personal code in anything, everything else is tainted by association.
On Choosing Between Job Offers
I’m choosing between two jobs. One pays better and sets me up for a better future, which matters to me as a first-generation student. The other seems more exciting and is more aligned with my interests but is higher risk. How do I make peace with my decision either way?
First, you can never guarantee what will ‘set you up for a better future.’ You simply don’t know, nor can you predict it. The promise of ‘better pay’ is not only fleeting but often not worth the drudgery of the work. Second, if another job is ‘more aligned’ with your interests and ‘more exciting,’ it’s a no-brainer. Grab it. The best time to ‘take risks’ is when you’re young and just beginning — not when you’re 40 and have kids and a mortgage.
As a first-generation student, you understand struggle and have a resilience that the more entitled likely do not. So, be brave. Remember, you don’t really ‘make peace’ with a decision. You ‘find peace’ when you choose what is more aligned with your true self. If you start with that, you cannot go wrong.
On Personal Growth and Changing Friendships
It’s junior year, and I feel like my friends and I are completely different from the people we were when we met. Is that normal? You’re probably not ‘completely’ different, just different enough that you can see the changes in yourselves. It’s normal and healthy. It means you’re changing, and while it can feel scary, embrace it. Change puts a bounce in your step and renews your outlook. Without it, life has no meaning.
Would you want to go back to your awkward years? Change is also the main reason that relationships don’t last. One person changes faster or differently than their partner, and the gap between them grows too wide. If you’re lucky, you’ll continue to change until you die. If you’re luckier, you’ll have a great friend or two who keeps step with you over your lifetime.
