ChatGPT instead of Netflix for watching movies?
Welcome to this blog! You can find the link to the video of this blog at the end of the text.
Why don't you use ChatGPT or NotebookLM to watch Netflix?
First, a personal experience to answer this provocative question.
The reason for this post is a corporate governance course I taught to students in an Executive EMBA program.
The students had watched a two-hour film, "The Smartest Guys in the Room," to prepare. This is a classic film about the Enron scandal and is on par with any Netflix production.
Students were tasked with analyzing the topic using predefined questions and preparing a presentation to be further developed in class. Notebook-LM and ChatGPT make it easy for students to prepare the assignment, including the presentation.
Mind you, it wouldn't be necessary to watch even a minute of the film, which runs about two hours. What a waste of time! 😉 A teaching tool, even a film, can't possibly be exciting, can it?
However, only one or two targeted questions in class are needed to determine which students have actually watched the film. But performance assessment is not the focus here. The focus is on the learning transfer value for the students. In other words: What did they learn? Or will they remember it after two to three weeks, meaning, will they have acquired useful knowledge?
To illustrate: Why would you watch Game of Thrones or "Infinite" with Mark Wahlberg instead of a summary created for you by AI or a person?
Yes, that's right, entertainment and the enjoyment of an exciting plot. Incidentally, you can learn a lot about governance from Game of Thrones.
Let's get to the heart of the matter.
What is often misunderstood is that solving a business problem and learning are not the same thing. My Executive MBA students are business owners, CEOs, or managers. The ladies and gentlemen are accustomed to solving problems and achieving results collaboratively. Therefore, the most effective and efficient solution path is the best one. And the right AI tools are useful, even necessary, for running a competitive business.
Yes, ChatGPT, NotebookLM, Perplexity, and other AI tools can be very useful for learning. However, they must be used correctly. There's no substitute for gaining experience, whether in professional or private life, or whether it's watching a film or reading an author's original work. This is the foundation upon which comprehension and understanding can be built.
Learning psychology is not invalidated by AI, and it still makes sense to take notes or create a mind map. Otherwise, the neural connections in the brain won't form. Nor can the necessary conditions be created for acquiring cognitive, emotional, and motor skills. Without these skills, practical problems in professional or private life cannot be solved.
Take the time to read not just the summaries, but the full text of Yuval Noah Harari's books. Admittedly, they are quite long, but the content is well worth it. Why am I recommending Harari's books? He provides us with the essential knowledge and guidance we need to make informed decisions in a complex and rapidly changing world. His particular strength lies in his ability to combine insights from history, biology, psychology, economics, and computer science into a comprehensive and easily understandable overview.
We are at the end of this blog.
Be curious!
