AI, Commencement Speeches, and Why Human Thinking Still Matters | The Curiosity Shop
episode
The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
1h 22m
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 3 months ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What insights do Brené Brown and Adam Grant share about commencement speeches?
Hey, everyone. In this episode, Brené and I are going to take on AI in a way that I've never really thought about before. We're going to talk about commencement speeches and what makes a great one. We're going to talk about why the booing happened and how it might have been prevented, the role of moral imagination in taking on technological change. We're also going to talk about some of the challenges we're facing with AI, particularly when collaborators dump thoughtless, maybe AI-generated content on us, and then how we respond to that, and whether a collaborator should have to disclose AI use when they have it. And I think we're also going to land on maybe a high note around what great content actually does.
Welcome to The Curiosity Shop.
A show from the Fox Media Podcast Network.
Hey, Renee.
Hi, how are you?
I have been watching too many commencement speeches, which has been fun, but also slightly distracting.
I love a commencement address. Not all of them, but I love a good one.
It's the only thing I like about graduation.
How does the booing at commencement speeches reflect societal challenges?
Same, actually. Yeah. And man, when they deliver, they just deliver. And when they don't, they do not. They're tough.
But we don't rewatch the ones that didn't.
No. And have you given a commencement address?
I have given three of them, I think. You?
Three, actually. And I hate to report that two of them, one was a medical school graduation, and then two of them were the University of Texas at Austin. And the first one was virtual because of COVID. It was the first time in like the history of the university they had to cancel commencement. So I had to do it, yes.
What are the moral implications of AI in content creation?
And then I was like, whew, that was hard. And I had to write something that would translate well to virtual. And then they're like, oh, great, we're back and we're in person, so you can do this one too. I'm like, no, I can't write two commencement addresses back and back. Yeah, they were hard, but it was fun. And the medical school one was really fun too.
I think one a decade should be the limit.
Yeah. I have to say, to be honest with you, I don't know that I would do one now. The environment's tough. I don't think I would either.
You don't want to get booed?
You wouldn't? No, I actually don't want to get booed. But I don't know.
How does AI impact the integrity of collaboration?
I don't know. It's wild out there. You want to talk about the booing?
Well, we definitely have to talk about that.
Have you seen the booing?
Yes. And I also, I just, I don't think you need a professor as your commencement speaker. Like we teach entire classes. We spend lots of time with students. Go invite somebody who's not normally on campus to address the audience.
Amen. I love it. I'm with you. Hear, hear.
What are your favorite commencement speeches of all time?
What is the concept of 'work slop' and why is it problematic?
You must have a list.
I have a list, but really, I'm going to pull it up. I have a list, but more importantly than a list, I have two paragraphs in one commencement address that... stuck with me. Like, I can't even tell you how it moved me. This is George Saunders, Syracuse.
Yes.
You know it? 2013. Yes. Yes. And so let me read it to you. So it's, He does this really funny part where he says, here's what I don't regret. And he tells some really terrible stories.
How can effective feedback be given in a tech-driven environment?
And then he says, I don't regret any of those. And then he says, but here's something I do regret. In seventh grade, this new kid joined our class. In the interest of confidentiality, her convocation speech name will be Ellen. Ellen was small, shy. She wore these blue cat eyeglasses that at the time only old ladies wore. When nervous, which was pretty much always, she had a habit of taking a strand of hair into her mouth and chewing on it. So she came to our school in our neighborhood and was mostly ignored, occasionally teased. Does your hair taste good? That sort of thing. I could see this hurt her. I still remember the way she'd look after such an insult, eyes cast down, a little gut kicked. as if having just been reminded of her place in things.
She was trying as much as possible to disappear. After a while, she'd drift away, hair strands still in mouth.
What role does human thinking play in writing and communication?
At home, I imagined after school, her mother would say, you know, how was your day, sweetie?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What insights do Brené Brown and Adam Grant share about commencement speeches?
0:00–1:15
2
How does the booing at commencement speeches reflect societal challenges?
1:15–1:54
3
What are the moral implications of AI in content creation?
1:54–2:29
4
How does AI impact the integrity of collaboration?
2:29–3:02
5
What is the concept of 'work slop' and why is it problematic?
3:02–3:45
6
How can effective feedback be given in a tech-driven environment?
3:45–4:34
7
What role does human thinking play in writing and communication?
4:34–5:04
8
How do Brené and Adam define the balance between technology and human creativity?
5:04–1:22:04
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
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Building Integrity in the Age of Normalized Cheating
Brené Brown on Protecting our Attention, Time, and Humanity in a World that Won’t Slow Down
Can We Build an “Us” Without a “Them”? with John Green
Leading Under Pressure with Rebecca Lowe