Calculators, Drum Machines, and AI – Oh My!

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane. Remember when teachers started letting us use graphing calculators in math class? At first, it caused a bit of panic. “Wait—how will we know if students are actually doing the math themselves?” The solution wasn’t to ban calculators but to adjust how we learned: show your work, explain your steps, and use the tool to help you, not do it all for you.

Now, something similar is happening—but this time, it’s not math class. It’s happening with writing, art, and even music. Enter generative AI, the latest tool on the block.

Generative AI is a type of technology that learns from examples (like reading tons of books, articles, and conversations) and then creates new things based on that—like writing emails, generating images, or even making music. Think of it as a super-advanced autocomplete on steroids.

But does that mean creativity is being replaced?

Not at all.

Think about the drum machine. Back in the day, some musicians thought it might replace human drummers. But instead of making drummers disappear, the drum machine helped create entirely new genres of music—like hip-hop and electronic beats from the '80s. It didn’t take over creativity; it inspired a whole new way of being creative.

Generative AI is like that. It’s not here to take away creativity—it’s here to add new tools to our creative toolbox.

Just like calculators didn’t end math education (they made it evolve), and drum machines didn’t end live bands (they opened new possibilities), generative AI isn’t the end of creativity. It’s just a new beginning.

So, whether you’re writing an essay, making music, or designing something cool—think of AI as your creative sidekick. Not a replacement. Not a shortcut. Just a really smart teammate that helps you push your ideas even further.

And just like with any tool, the most important part is still you.

Curious to learn more about how generative AI really works? Check out the full article and Q&A with Google researcher Douglas Eck here:

👉What is Generative AI? – Google Blog

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