AI in a mathematics classroom with Dr Gary Stager Gary Stager 博士在数学课堂上的人工智能

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AIinamathematicsclassroomwithDrGaryStager

Introduction:

You'relisteningtotheVictorianAcademyofTeachingandLeadershipPodcast,whereweshowcaseconversationswithsomeoftheworld'sbiggestthoughtleadersineducation.WealsobringyouthethoughtsandreflectionsofteachersandschoolleadersfromacrossVictoria.

AnamJaved:

Helloeveryone,mynameisAnamJaved,andI'mthemasterteacherinresidencefortechnologieshereattheAcademy.Todaywe'rejoinedbyDr.GaryStager,whoseinternationallyrecognizedworkhasbeenhelpingschoolleadersandteachersembracetechnologyandamplifythepotentialofeachstudentinpreparationforanuncertainfuture.Today,we'rediscussingartificialintelligence,andthisisagreatepisodeforschoolteachersandschoolleaderstobetterunderstandandexplorethechallengesandopportunitiesthatAIbrings.Thankyouforjoiningus,Gary.Let'sgetstarted.

GaryStager:

Greattobehere.

AnamJaved:

SoGary,whenIspeaktoteachersandcolleaguesineducation,thevibeverymuchisthatartificialintelligencejustpoppedoutofnowherein2022.Canyoutellusalittlebitabouttheoriginsofartificialintelligence?

GaryStager:

Well,inalotofways,apparentlyeducationwasrevolutionizedoverChristmasbreak.ItdidpopoutofnowhereintheformofthisChatGPTsoftware.Artificialintelligenceisalegitimatescientificdisciplinethathasatleast60yearsofworkbehindit.AndIshouldsay,I'mnotanexpertinAI.Ihavebeenluckyenoughtoknowsomeofthepioneersinthefield,andspentsometimewiththem,andmaybethat'sallowedmetohaveamorerationalmeasuredapproachtoboththehypeandthehysteriaaroundChatGPT,aroundgenerativeartificialintelligence,asthebroadercategory,andaroundtheimplicationsofitforeducation.

AnamJaved:

Wonderful.Ilovethatyouusedthetermirrationalandmeasuredapproach,andkeepingonthattheme,Gary,couldyouenlightenusonthedifferencesbetweenartificialintelligenceandmachinelearning?Aretheythesame?What'sthegohere?

GaryStager:

Well,Ihopethisisn'tatest.Sometimesartificialintelligenceisjustsoftware.We'vehadalotofsoftware,andsoftwaregetsbetterandgetssmarter,andshouldhelpusbebetteratwhatwedo.Itshouldhelpusbebetterandmorecreativeandsmarteratwhatwedoinoureverydaylives.Mymentorandfriend,SeymourPapert,whoisoneofthepioneersatartificialintelligence,likedtosay,"Thateveryoneneedsaprosthetic."IfIputmyglasseson,nooneaccusesmeofcheating,itjusthelpsmelivemylifebetter.Andthere'sbeenallsortsoftechnologicaladvantagesthatareinthatspirit,andIthinkwhat'shappeningwithartificialintelligenceisnotdissimilar.

Myunderstandingismachinelearningiswherethesoftwarelearnssomethings.Wherethesoftwaregetssmarter.ThesimplestexamplethatIcansharewasonethatIsawrecentlydonewiththeBBCmicro:bit:,this$20littlemiraclebrainboardthatallowskidstoexploreelectronicsandroboticsandphysicalcomputing.Andthere'smillionsofthemincirculation.Andtheexamplewas,theymadeahatoutofpaper,andtheysaidwe'regoingtotrainthesystem.Andso,theynoddedtheirheadupanddownrepeatedly,andthensaid,"Stop,"andthecomputerrememberedwhatthatmotionwaslike,becausethere'sanaccelerometerinthemicrobit.Accelerometerissomethingthatknowswhetherit'sbeentiltedorturnedorflippedordroppedorthrown.Andtheysaid,"I'mgoingtocallthatnod."

Andthentheyshooktheirheadfromsidetoside,andtheyrecordedthatforamoment,untilthecomputersaiditgotenoughdata.Andtheysaid,"I'mgoingtocallthatshake."Andyoucouldthinkabout,whenyou'retryingtoteachyouriPhoneforfacialrecognition,youdoalittlemachinelearning,whereyouturnfromsidetoside,soitlearnswhatyourfaceismadeupof,soitcanrecognizeit.Andthen,akid,oranyoneelse,couldwriteacomputerprogramthatsays,whenyounod,dosomething.Whenyoushake,dosomething.So,you'retakingsomephenomenaandyou'renamingit,oralistofinstructionsandyou'renamingit,andthecomputerisbreakingdownwhateverthecomplexitiesofthatseeminglysimpleactionis.

Andthenitlearnsthem,andmakinginvertedcommas.Artificialintelligencewastheideathatwecanteachcomputerstothink.Andthere'sbeenverydifferentvisionsofartificialintelligence,theMIToriginsofJohnMcCarthyandMarvinMinsky,andpeoplelikeSeymourPapertwasabout...Seymourusedtosay,"Youcan'tthinkaboutthinkingwithoutthinkingaboutthinkingaboutsomething.Andthatifyou'rethinkingaboutthinkingorthinkingaboutthinkingaboutsomething,youbecomeabetterthinker."

Andintheprocessofgettingcomputerstothinkaboutthinking,youbecomemorehuman.Youbecomeabetterthinker.Andthat'savisionofartificialintelligencethatistakenabackseattothisgetrichquick,goldminingvisionthatthemediaandpolicymakersareagitatedaboutnow.IhadsomeonefromastatedepartmentofeducationintheUnitedStatescomeuptomeatacocktailpartyrecently,andsay,"We'rebeingtaskedwithdevelopingpoliciesaroundartificialintelligence,amIqualifiedtodoso?"AndIsaid,"Absolutelynot."IoftenrecommendthatweheedtheadviceofthegreatPee-weeHerman,and"Chillax."It'sjustsoftware.

AnamJaved:

Yes.

GaryStager:

AndI'veactuallyengagedsomeoftheleadingtechjournalists,oneinparticular,intheUnitedStates,KaraSwisherisamonstertechjournalist,whogetsscoopsoneverything,andhasbeenincrediblyentrepreneurial,andmakespeoplelikeMarkZuckerbergsweatthroughhisshirt.ButwhenshetalkstopeopleaboutgenerativeAIandthissoftwarelikeChatGPT,there'sthismomentwheretheytalkaboutalltheupside,allthewonderfulthingsitcando,andthegreatpromisethatitoffersforsociety.Andthen,almostoncue,youwillallthenhavetobowyourheadsandsay,butofcoursethere'sadarkside.Andeveryonejustnodsinagreement.AndIreachedouttoherandIsaid,suchas?That'sthebasicjournalisticfollow-upquestion.

What'sthedarksideexactly?Now,Iknowtherearealreadydystopiansciencefictionvisionsofmachinestakingovertheworld,butatleastfortheforeseeablefuture,thesoftwarewe'retalkingabout,atbest,willwriteabadfiveparagraphessayforaclassyoudon'tcare,aboutonatopicyou'redisinterestedin.OneofthereasonswhyIthinkeducatorsaresoagitatedaboutitisbecauseoneofthethingsthatChatGPTdoesverywellisthenonsensethatwemakekidsdoinschool.So,Iusedtosaythatanyteacherwhocouldbereplacedbyacomputerprobablyshouldbe,andwemightamendthattosay,anyassignmentthatcanbesubmittedbyChatGPTprobablyshouldn'tbeanassignment.

AnamJaved:

Lovethat,Gary.Infact,Ifeelquitereassured,personally,becausenotonlyhaveyoudemystifiedChatGPTforme,you'veactuallyaddressedalotofthehypetrain.So,isitgoingtoreplaceteachers,Gary?

GaryStager:

Probablynot.Butprobablynotfortherightreasons.Andthismightbejusttangential,butduringthepandemic,ifwerecognizethatschoolsservethreeprimaryfunctions,ofchildmindingorchildcare,socialization,anddeliveryofinstruction,schoolscouldhavedonetwoofthethreesafely,andwedecidedtodotheonethatwasimpossibletodo,whichwasthedeliveryofinstruction.Ifyouhadjustsaid,dropthekidsoffinafieldsomewhereandthey'llrunaroundallday,youmightnothavehadthementalhealthoutcomesthatpeopleseemtothinkthatkidsaresufferingfrom,andtheyprobablywould'velearnedandstayedonpace.Butinstead,wehadtoinventallkindsofDraconianwaystodeliverarbitrarybitsofknowledgeintounwillingkids'headswhiletheyweresittingintheirbedroom.

AndIthinkthatifyouthinkabouttheroleofschool,Ioftensaythatschoolhasanobligationtointroducechildrentothingstheydon'tyetknowtheylove,thatyouwanttocreaterichexperienceswhereyougainbenefitfrombeingco-locatedinthesamespaceatthesametime.Thenthosethingscan'tbereplacedbyChatGPT,orbygenerativeAI.Butifyouthinkit'spreparingforastandardizedexamandthat'stheprimaryroleoftheteacher,todispenseinformationtochildren,thatabsolutelycanbereplacedbyacomputerprogram.

AnamJaved:

Yeah.Andso,inalotofwaysthereisanonusonteacherstoharnesstheuseofChatGPTandtrytomovebeyondtherhetoric,andasyoumentioned,thedarkside,that'spanderedbymedia,andmovetowardsusingitinwaysthatarebetterthan,writeapromptforanessayinEnglish,etcetera.

GaryStager:

Yeah.I'mhorrifiedbythenumberofpeopleinmyLinkedInfeedwhohave,expertinAIandeducation,intheirbionow.Now,thiscouldbetheresultofAIandabadalgorithm,that'sjustmakingmehavetoendureallthis-

AnamJaved:

YourLinkedInfeed.Yeah.

GaryStager:

...nonsense.Butitseemstomethat,firstofall,youshouldhavetowriteafiveparagraphessayaboutAIbeforeyoudeclareyourselfanexpertinit.Youmightactuallyhavetoreadabookthatwaswrittenmorethanbeforeyesterday.Butbeyondthat,ifyouwouldn'tannouncethatyouwereanexpertingeneticsorphysicsorbiology,whydoyouhavetheaudacitytoclaimthatyou'reanexpertinAI?Ithinkthere'salotof-

AnamJaved:

Andwho'sgrantedthatdegreeandcertificate?

GaryStager:

Yeah.Right.Andthere'sthatproblem,thereisproblemswithbiasandfacialrecognitionandrace,andanythingthat'sgoingtobeusinglargebodiesofdataaredependentonwherethedatasourceoriginallycomesfrom.Andthereareunintendedconsequences,ifAustraliasaystoGoogleandFacebook,hey,wewon'tletyouuseournewsdataanymore,thenbydefinition,thesystemwillbecomelessAustralia-centric.Buthavingsaidthat,Ithinkoneofthethingsthatkidsandteachersneedtostartthinkingalotmoreaboutis,there'satermthatIheardintroducedinsomeofthesediscussionsabouthowAIisgoingtoimpactonsocietyandjobsandsuch,isthatyouneedtoownyourdigitaltwin.

Youneedtoownyourlikeness,yourself,yourwork,yourideas.Andthat'sanotionthathasbeenfarintoschools.Andthere'sanearlierprecedentforit,whichisthere'saprojectoutofauniversityintheUnitedStates,IbelievetheUniversityofMaryWashingtonstartedsomethingcalled...Icouldbewrongaboutthat,butIthinkitis.CalledaDomainofOne'sOwn.Thatit'spreposterousforanyonetohaveaGmailaccount,unlessthey'reusingitastheirburneremail.It'sequallyludicrousforthewayyoucommunicatetobedoingsoviayourschool'semailaddress.Teachershavesufferedundertherandomproclivitiesofschoolinternetpolicieslongenough.In2023,everykiddoesn'thavetheirownspaceonthewebandmaynothaveemailaccess,it'sunacceptable.So,suggestingshiftingtheburden,sayingno,everyoneshouldhavetheirspace,theirplace,theiridentity,isareallygoodwayofensuringthat.

AnamJaved:

Youleaveyourimprintontheinternet.

GaryStager:

Youcandoyourbestwork,youcanhaveaccesstowhatyouneed,you'reunencumberedbysomearbitrarygatekeepers.AndwhenIwas12yearsold,wepublishedanundergroundschoolnewspaper,whenitwashardtopublishanewspaperbecauseyouactuallyhadtohaveaccesstoaprinter.Now,everykid'sgotacomputerintheirshoe,andaprinterintheirhouse,andaworldwideweb,andinfiniteaudience,andstreaming,andpodcasting,andyet,they'veneverbeenmorehelpless.Andtheirteachersarehelplessaswell.AndIthinkweoughttobeaddressingthathelplessnessof,whyareyoutoleratingthisnonsense?Itwasactuallythecasethatteacherscouldn'tuseatelephonefor120years.120yearsafterAlexanderGrahamBellinventedthething,youmightstillhavetocallyourdoctorfromoutsidethecanteenatlunchtime.Ortakeaparentcallfromthenurse'soffice.Andthen,thisthingI'mholdingup,thecellphonehappened,andyouwerenolongerwillingtosufferthatindignity.However,we'reperfectlyhappytotellkidsthattheycan'thaveaccesstotheworldinwhichtheylive.

AnamJaved:

AndIthinkwhatyou'retalkingabout,Gary,Ireallyappreciate,becausethedebatearoundChatGPT,fromwhatI'mhearingfromyou,issymptomaticactuallyofthewickedproblemsthatwetalkaboutintheAustralianeducationsystemaswell,andbiggerconversationsaroundownershipandagencyaswell.Andwhereitsitsonaspectrumwithpolicymakingandconsistencyandstructure.So,Iguess,onthatnote,talkingaboutstudentagency,canyousharewithmewhatexcitesyouaboutthepotentialthatChatGPT,orevenAI,broadlyhasinthatregard?

GaryStager:

Andthere'sadifferencebetweenchildishandchildlike.Iwantteacherstobechildlikeandfilledwithwonderandcuriosity.

AnamJaved:

Beautiful.

GaryStager:

Andchildishispetulantandwhingy,andwewanttocreate,forkidsandteachersalike,wewanttoempowerthem.AndIlearnedevenfromtheearlychildhoodeducators[inaudible00:16:05],it'sirresponsibletobuildpensaroundchildren.It'sourjobtofindconstructivewaysofusingwhattheyfindintheirworldinaconstructiveway.So,let'stalkaboutChatGPTinthatregard.Youcangetanswerstoquestions,it'safrontendonaninfinite,potentially,libraryofinformation.That'sallgoodstuff.EverythingI'veeverreadaboutwritingsaysyouneedacopyeditor.You'renotsoclever,youneedacopyeditor.ChatGPTisagoodcopyeditor.

ThingsI'mexcitedaboutisn'tthestuffthateveryone'stalkingabout,of,youcanaskthesoftwaretogiveyouapurpledragon.Whocares?Although,that'sfine,Idon'tfindittobeverygoodatgivingmepurpledragons,andthereareissuesaroundwhoownsthedragon,andwhere'sthecopyrightandcompensationandmetering,wherethingscomefrom,andallthatneedstoberesolved.ThestuffthatI'mexcitedaboutisthesoftwarethat'slettingmedomyworkbetter.AndI'mwritingawhitepaperaboutthiscurrentlybecausethere'sacoupletitlesthatIusethatIhaven'tseenanyoneelseineducationtalkingabout.There'sapieceofsoftwarecalledAuthory,thatkeepstrackofallofmywritingonline,andputsitinoneplace,archivesit,allowsmetoshareitinavarietyofways.Now,whyisthatimportant?BecauseIwroteforamagazineforadozenyears,theychangedservers,anditlostallmywork.

Sooneofthethingskidsandteachersshouldlearnis,you'reresponsibleforyourwork.ThisisrelatedtothedigitaltwinortheDomainofOne'sOwn.AndAuthorynowknowswheremyworktendstoappear,andit'sonthelookoutforitconstantly.AndwhenIwritesomethingnew,itmakesacopyofit.AndDavidPoguefromCBSNews,inAmerica,said,"Thissavedmylife,"andIknowhimalittlebit,andIsawhimsaythatonsocialmedia,andithassavedmylifeaswell.Andasaresult,severalthousandpiecesofwritingthatI'vedonearenownotlosttotheages.

AnamJaved:

Brilliant.

GaryStager:

You'rerecordingaudioinaclassroom,orvideoinaclassroom,classroomsarenoisy.Theyhavethingshummingandbuzzingandalarmsgoingoffandotherkidstalking.So,there'sasoftwarelikeathingcalledLALAL.AI,whereyoutakeanaudiofileandsay,cleanthisup,anditdoesit.AndIonlyknowhowtouse1%ofthetool,that1%issufficientforme.Myfavoriteofallofthem,andwe'reonapodcastnow,soI'llsharethiswithyou.

AnamJaved:

Yeah.

GaryStager:

There'sapieceofsoftwarecalledDescript.AndI'vebeenaroundcomputingnow,goingon50years,andeverydecadeorsoIseeapieceofsoftware,whereIthink,huh,that'skindofcool.Aboutevery20yearsIseesomethingwhereIcrookmyneckandgo,oh,that'smagic.Descriptismagic.So,ifyouhaveavideofileoranaudiofile,sokidsshotsomevideoortheyrecordedthemselvessayingsomething,youuploadittothesoftware,ittranscribesitonthefly.

AnamJaved:

Wow.

GaryStager:

Okay,that'saneattrick,that'saneattrick,butthere'sothersoftwarethatdoesthat.Havingatranscriptofsomethingyou'veheardorwatchedisusefulforateacherorforkidssometimes.Youwanttograbasentencefromitanduseitsomeotherform,properlycited,ofcourse,that'sgreat,butthat'snotthemagic.Themagicis,yousay,findallthefillerwords,alltheums,huh,stammering,like,like,repeatedwords,itfindsthem.

AnamJaved:

Wow.

GaryStager:

Youcanmanually,ifyouwant,gothroughandsaydeletethem,oryoucouldjustsaykillallofthem.Butitdoesn'tjustkillthemallfromthetranscript,thevideoortheaudiofileisedited.

AnamJaved:

Wow.

GaryStager:

Youknowwhenyou'redoingaZoomconversationwithsomeone,andyousay,oh,where'dmymousego?HowdoIgetthatscreen?Noonewantstowatchthererunofthat.Youcangrabthatparagraph,deleteit,itleavesthevideo.Let'ssayyouusethewrongwordinasentence,youcanoverdubthewordandthevideowillchange.Orifyou'rereallylazy,youcantrainitwithyourvoice,typetheword,itwillpronounceitinyourvoice.Itexportsin1000differentformats.Takethethirdparagraph,moveitbeforethesecondparagraph,thevideochanges,ortheaudiofilechanges.Whythehellwouldn'tkidsusethis?Theirwritingcouldbecomecrisper,shorter,morecompelling,thestorytellingisbetter.Thewholepointofwritingisediting,justlikethepointofprogrammingisdebugging.It'smakingsomethingbetter.Whywouldn'tyouallowkidstouseatoollikethatthatwouldmaketheircommunicationbetter,morepowerful,moremeaningful,conveyagreaterunderstandingofsomething?

So,that'sthestuffthatI'mreallyexcitedabout.Andinthemathematicscontext,I'vegonedownarabbitholeof,IaskedChatGPTtogivemealistofdollarwords.Isharedthisinaworkshopyesterday.SodollarwordswasaproblemthattheGreatAmericanmathseducator,MarilynBurnscreated,probably40yearsago.Thatsays,ifAisworth1centandZisworth26cents,canyoufindwordsintheEnglishlanguagewherethesumofthevalueofthelettersinawordadduptobeadollar?

AnamJaved:

Wow.

GaryStager:

Now,that'sanicepuzzleforsecond-graders,andkidswillreallystrugglewithit,andthere'salittlepicturebookwhereallthewordsaredollarwords.So,IaskedChatGPTtogivemealistofdollarwords.Ifithadsaidtome,Idon'tknowwhatthatis,Iwould'vebeendonewithit,unlikemearguingwithitaboutMariaMontessoriuntil3:00inthemorningonenight.AndIsaid,"Givemealistofdollarwords,"anditsaid,"Sure,"anditexplainedwhocreatedtheproblemandhowitworks.Andthenitfilledmyscreenwitha100dollarswords.AndIsawalfalfa.AndIwent,thatdoesn'tseemright.AndItookoutapieceofpaperandpencil,andIscribbled,Ididthemaths,andI'mlike,yeah,alfalfaisa39centword.

AnamJaved:

Right.

GaryStager:

IthasalotofA'sinit,andallofthelettersareatthefirsthalfofthealphabet,there'snowaythisisadollarword.Isaid,"Someofthesearewrong."Anditsaid,"Oh,Iapologize.Here'ssomemore."AndIgotcabbage.Andanotherlistof100words.AndthenIgotmadderandmadderatit,andtoldit,"No,you'renotdoingthiscorrectly,"anditgotmoresolicitous,whichwasoffendingmeevenmore.AndthenIthought,well,howdoIknowwhichonesareright?Ishouldwriteacomputerprogramthatletsmetypeinthelistofwordsitgivesme,becauseIdon'twanttodoallthemanualcalculations.

AnamJaved:

Yeah.

GaryStager:

Now,I'vebeenprogrammingcomputerslongenoughthatIwasabletotakeLogo,theprogramminglanguagedesignedforkids,andwriteanewdialectcalledLinks,thatwouldfactcheckChatGPTforme.ButthenIstartedthinkingabout,howcanIengagekidsinthis?AndIwentbacktosometimelessprogrammingproblemsthatSeymourPapertandCynthiaSolomonbeganposingtochildrenasearlyasthelate1960s.So,forexample,ifyouteachthecomputerarandomlistofnamesandarandomlistofverbs,andyouaskedthemtomakeasentenceofperson,doeswhat,person,it'llsay,GarylikesRachel.MarypunchesSusie.Andkidsgiggle,andthen,yousay,oh,whatotherkindsofwordscanweaddtothat?Andthey'llmakeadjectivesoradverbs.Andthensomeonewillinadvertentlyputitinthesentenceinthewrongorderandthecomputerwillsaysomethinghilarious,andthekidswillgo,oh,that'sfunny.No,it'sinthewrongorder.

Andtheystartdealingwithpartsofspeechinareallyconcreteway.Andwhentheyweredoingthisinthelate60s,oneoftheyearfivekids,workingwithPaperandSolomon,said,"Oh,nowIknowwhytherearenounsandverbs."Which,youteachallthatstuff,buttheydon'tnecessarilystaytaught.Theydon'tnecessarilyhaveunderstandingofit.Butwhenteachingthecomputerhowtodoit,youunderstanditbetter.Sothenwemightgofromthatto,canwewriteaprogramthatletsmetypeawordinanditgivesmethepluralformofthatword?Andso,ifIsay,truck,addanS,it'strucks.SoIsay,boy,itsaysboys.IfIsaycherry,itsaysCherry...C-H-E-R-R-Y-S.Now,wehavetobuildexceptionsintoit.Whatdowedoaboutmoose?Whatdowedoaboutgoose?

AnamJaved:

Lovethat.

GaryStager:

Andasthestudentsaredoingthat,they'redealingwithalotoflogicandproblemsolving,they'redealingwithsomecomputationalissues,andthey'relearningpartsofspeechandtheproclivitiesofourlanguage.Withinminutesofthatactivity,akidwillspontaneouslysay,oh,thisislikeAI.AndthenIsaid,okay,let'sgoonestepfurther.So,ChatGPTcouldn'tgeneratedollarwordscorrectly,howcanwewriteaprogramtocheckit?SoImightshowthemwhatIwrotesotheycanunderstandhowtheymightcheckaword.ThenImightsay,whatifwewantedtohavethecomputerrandomlygeneratewords?What'stheshortestwordthatcouldbeadollarword?Andtheythinkaboutit,andtheygo,fourletters.Isaid,sowhatwouldbeafourletterwordthatwouldbeadollar?

Andthey'dgo,ZZZZ.That'snotaword.So,what'sthemoreprobabilisticnumberoflettersinaword?Well,let'sstartwithfiveletterwords.Askthecomputerrandomlygeneratefiveletterwords,haveitrunthatallnight,nowwecancheckallofthosetoseeifanyofthemaredollarwords.AndI'llgetalistofdollarwordsthatweregeneratedatrandom.ExceptnoneofthemareEnglish.Nowwe'vegotadifferentproblem.Howdoweknowifthey'reinEnglish?Andthat'swherewerunintoawall,becausenoonehasmadeasoftwareenvironmentforkidssittingonalargelanguagemodel,whichiswhatChatGPTissittingon.It'ssittingontheworld'sknowledge.Idon'tevenhaveadictionaryintheseprogramminglanguagesforkids,soIcan'tcompareittothedictionary.Wecouldthentransitiontosoftware,likeWolframLanguage,createdbytheWolframCompany,whichisthesoftwarethat'sunderneathWolframAlphaandMathematica.

AnamJaved:

Yeah.

GaryStager:

Thesoftwarethat'susedbymathematiciansandscientists.Andinoneexpression,Icouldsay,showmeallofthewordsintheEnglishlanguagewherethesumofthevalueofthelettersequals100.Anditwilldothatwithinacoupleofseconds.AndthenIcansay,dividethatbythenumberofwordsintheEnglishlanguage.Andbytheway,that'snotastaticnumber,thatchangesovertime.AnditgivesmethepercentageofdollarwordsthatareintheEnglishlanguage.Andjusttowrapupthisthing,whatIreallyfindexcitingaboutthisasaneducator,isthechildrenarebeingmathematicians,they'reengagedinaplayfulchildlikeinquiry,thatwhenIsharedthedollarwordproblemwithStephenWolfram,who'sarguablyoneoftheworld'sleadingmathematiciansandscientists,he'sEinsteinlevel,hedidn'tsay,whyareyoubotheringtheworld'sgreatestmathematicianwithsomesecondgradearithmeticnonsense?Hesaidtome,"My,howwonderfulthatis.Anddoyoumindifweputthatonourwebsite?"

AnamJaved:

Wow.

GaryStager:

Andinfact,ontheWolframwebsite,there'sapageaboutdollarwords.And,Ican'tsaythatIinfluencedthisinanyway,butafewweekslater,ChatGPTgotalotsmarter,becausethere'snowapluginforWolframlanguage.Sothat,now,whenyouaskitaproblemlikethat,it'snotgoingtogiveyougibberish,it'sgoingtogiveyousomethingaccurate.So,ifyousetpolicyforthisstuff,you'regoingtobelockedintothatpolicy,andthesoftwarechangeseveryday.So,again,toquotethegreatphilosopherandeducatorandhumanitarianPee-weeHerman,weshouldjust"Chillax."

AnamJaved:

AndIfeelverychillaxed,Gary,particularlybecauseyou'veleftuswithanincrediblearrayofinterdisciplinaryapplications.NotonlyhaveyoutalkedaboutopenaccessAItools,you'veactuallytalkedab