As usual, we started the day off with book presentations of our fellow classmates.
Afterwards we moved onto the introduction of the topic and asked ourselves: “What is technology?” While discussing this question in class, we kept adapting the definition based on different opinions of the pupils. In the end we came to the conclusion that technology is human-made and facilitates the application of knowledge which is constantly being developed. The last point being, that it’s not alive. To round this off, we learnt a given definition: “technology can be used for creation, processing, storage and dissemination of knowledge” as well as a few examples.
Following up on the introduction, we looked at the scope. To better understand the topic of technology, it’s useful to grasp the definitions of data, information and knowledge and how these build on each other. To summarize: data is the raw observations, information is the processed data, and knowledge is the information which can then be applied. To deepen our understanding of these definitions, we analyzed a few examples together. We also learned that computers store and process data which led us to the next important subject: AI.
“Be careful: any “AI” might be biased, can make mistakes, or is less creative than you”, was written in bold letters on the next slide. Nowadays the usage of AI is so normalized that we rarely ever question it anymore, and just go with it, as it makes life easier most of the time. The machine thinks for you, writes for you, and slowly we get lost in this lifestyle where we let the machine take over even the simplest tasks. To further our knowledge on this topic, we started off by looking for bias in ChatGPT, followed by searching for mistakes in Google, ending it off with a game “ChatGPT – Schlag die KI”, where we had to come up with descriptions of sometimes absurd ideas, and find out which one was written by AI and which one we students wrote.
The next step was to look into methods and tools. We learnt that knowledge is often based on observations, which are limited to the ones we can make with today’s technology, which can always evolve further. We looked at how we used to store knowledge and how we do it nowadays, e.g. through oral transmission, books or computers.
This was followed up by the next point: perspectives. An important thing to remember when considering knowledge, is that not everybody has equal access to it, and even if you do have access, you always have to question it and determine for yourself whether it is reliable or credible, as there may be bias involved. We looked at different ways knowledge had been captured over the years from ancient Egypt to Gutenberg’s printing press. To round off the morning, we discussed the ethics and biases of knowledge and technology, as well as the gatekeeping of information.
We started off the afternoon, by getting insight into the importance of technology in the gain of knowledge, through the example brought to us by Miss Debrunner. She gave us an interesting presentation about papyri which were carbonized in Pompeii, and were able to be deciphered by modern technology, without having to lose any information through possible mishaps. She showed us how thanks to the technology of laser scans and digital un-scrolling, as well as the understanding of languages, which are no longer used today, people were able to gain new information and texts from these papyri, that looked like chunks of coal.
The last input of the day was a short presentation given by one of this school’s former students, Mister Hartmann, who now works at the University of Zurich. One of the first and most important takeaways we received through a short video, was “Don’t trust your measuring tools!” and “Good science does not mean getting the perfect answer”. After this short video, we delved deeper into the topic of bias, especially in technology. Through a few plot graphs and examples, we learnt, that computers oftentimes aren’t only biased by sex (e.g. if you type in “woman”, you’re more likely to get the result of “homemaker”, where the term “man” would give the answer “computer programmer”) but also by race, belief, or even sexual orientation. Now, how does it become biased? The answer’s rather simple: “The way the world is shaped influences the technology that we train” (Mister Hartmann). The bias of technology is a reflection of the connections and assumptions we make ourselves. The concluding statement of this presentation was that “The main tool to gain knowledge is still: YOU”, and yes, it is going to become more common to use tools such as AI, however, in the end you are the one that has to decide what you believe, and what you question.
Gaja Gorecka und Leanne Ramseyer, 5i
