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648 points bradgessler | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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don_neufeld ◴[] No.44009004[source]
Completely agree.

From all of my observations, the impact of LLMs on human thought quality appears largely corrosive.

I’m very glad my kid’s school has hardcore banned them. In some class they only allow students to turn in work that was done in class, under the direct observation of the teacher. There has also been a significant increase in “on paper” work vs work done on computer.

Lest you wonder “what does this guy know anyways?”, I’ll share that I grew up in a household where both parents were professors of education.

Understanding the effectiveness of different methods of learning (my dad literally taught Science Methods) were a frequent topic. Active learning (creating things using what you’re learning about) is so much more effective than passive, reception oriented methods. I think LLMs largely are supporting the latter.

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zdragnar ◴[] No.44009388[source]
Anyone who has learned a second language can tell you that you aren't proficient just by memorizing vocabulary and grammar. Having a conversation and forming sentences on the fly just feels different- either as a different skill or using a different part of the brain.

I also don't think the nature of LLMs being a negative crutch is new knowledge per se; when I was in school, calculus class required a graphing calculator but the higher end models (TI-92 etc) that had symbolic equation solvers were also banned, for exactly the same reason. Having something that can give an answer for you fundamentally undermines the value of the exercise in the first place, and cripples your growth while you use it.

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socalgal2 ◴[] No.44012226[source]
I am waiting for the day (maybe it's already here) when I can talk to an LLM to practice my 2nd language. It can correct everything I say, it can talk forever, it can challenge me to use new grammar or vocabularly. Note: I can speak all day in my 2nd language with friends but I wouldn't give a business presentation nor could I explain, as a native, how something technical works. If I watch a TV show I might understand 30%-99% but the more lawyers/military/goverment/science parts there are the more it's beyond my current level.

Getting exposure there is hard. Talking to friends just means more practice with what I already know but an LLM could help me practice things outside that area.

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1. edanm ◴[] No.44012349[source]
For many languages, this is already something you can do.