Kindling a Fire: The Era of Artificial Intelligence, Part I: AI for Beginners

In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that stunned the world with its ability to produce coherent and contextually nuanced text. Almost overnight, generative AI became a topic of dinner-table conversations and boardroom strategies. But what exactly is generative AI, and why is it so transformative?

In this first of a two-part series, I will offer some basic background on the AI revolution. Next month, I’ll offer some insights into AI’s considerable impact on education.

If you’re already using AI on a regular basis, much of this article may be familiar. But if you still haven’t taken the leap, perhaps this information will convince you to dip a toe into the water. After all, AI is here to stay, whether we like it or not.  

Generative AI refers to technology systems that create new content based on patterns in huge sets of existing data. These systems, powered by large language models (LLMs) and advanced neural networks, can generate text, images, code, and even music by studying huge sets of data and predicting outputs. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot (for text generation), and DALL-E, MidJourney, and Adobe Firefly (for images), exemplify this new frontier.

Chances are, even if you have no interest in AI, you’ve already used it. Earlier forms of AI have been part of our daily lives for years. For example, virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa rely on AI to answer questions and manage tasks. Netflix and Amazon use AI to know just what to recommend to pique your interest for your next show or purchase.

However, unlike traditional AI, which focuses on analyzing data, generative AI actively creates content. This leap has implications across industries, from automating routine tasks to enhancing creativity. AI tools are already reshaping workflows and pushing the boundaries of innovation.

Permit me to use an example I recently demonstrated to another audience. If you’ve never used ChatGPT, take this opportunity to do what technology enthusiasts call “playing in the sandbox.” Go to www.chatgpt.com and type in each of the following prompts into the dialogue box, one at a time:

1. Tell me about the history of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and Shakespeare’s version of the “St. Crispin’s Day Speech” in Henry V which precedes this battle.
2. Draft a 1,000-word essay (suitable for a reader at a graduate student level) about the historical influence of Shakespeare’s speech and its effect on English national identity in relation to the Battle of Agincourt.
3. Create a picture of Henry V giving his famous speech, but don’t use movie examples like Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh; instead, use a “steampunk” style.
4. Rewrite the St. Crispin’s Day speech in rhymed iambic pentameter using the style of rapper Kendrick Lamar.
5. Provide the code (in Python script) necessary to create a basic website that includes all the above information.

I predict that if you watch ChatGPT instantly generate cogent and human-like responses to these varied prompts, you will have no choice but to conclude that AI is destined to be one of the most influential forces in society for years to come.

Not surprisingly, many industries are already implementing generative AI in impactful ways:

• Healthcare: AI improves diagnostic accuracy, predicts disease outbreaks, and accelerates drug discovery. In some studies, AI already outperforms doctors in making a diagnosis from the same set of medical information.
• Finance: Predictive analytics, fraud detection, and tailored customer experiences are transforming financial services. Algorithmic trading, driven by AI, is optimizing investment strategies.
• Transportation: Autonomous vehicles are becoming more common, alongside AI-driven traffic management and supply chain optimization. For example, Waymo’s AI-driven autonomous vehicles are already providing more than 150,000 rides per week in three American cities.
• Cybersecurity: AI combats cyber threats but also enables malicious tools like deepfakes and phishing scams. Organizations are racing to deploy AI-driven defenses to counter increasingly sophisticated attacks.
• Creative Fields: Designers, marketers, and writers now use AI to brainstorm ideas, refine content, and enhance efficiency. Generative AI tools like Canva and Adobe Firefly are blurring the lines between professional and amateur creators.

New uses are discovered every day, and since the initial ChatGPT tool came to market, AI has continued its exponential growth in capability. Some AI leaders, like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, believe we are nearing the dawn of Artificial General Intelligence, where AI exceeds human capabilities on almost any task.

This future promises unprecedented possibilities but also profound uncertainties. What role will humans maintain in a machine-dominated age? What is the future of work? And how can schools possibly prepare students for a world forever altered by AI? That will be the topic of next month’s column. Who knows – by then there may have been another breakthrough, rendering this entire column obsolete.

"Kindling a Fire" is a column submitted regularly to Indian Hill Living by Head of School Rob Zimmerman '98. This ran in the March 2025 edition of the publication.