Under a new law, schools in Iowa have to remove titles with specific sexual content from libraries. Asking an AI chatbot proved to be the easiest way. It flagged 'The Handmaid’s Tale' and 'Beloved.'
” bills that have become popular with Republican lawmakers of late and seek to limit discussion of sexuality and gender identity in schools. Its stipulations are a sweeping attempt at eradicating any discussion of sex or sexuality, and as Mason City School District’s assistant superintendent Bridgette Exman explained in a statement to the, “it is simply not feasible to read every book and filter for these new requirements.
Under the surface of this is a unique conundrum. Broad bans on sexual content that use vague language like “age-appropriate” already leave too much room for interpretation. It doesn’t matter if what’s in the book is the equivalent of softcore slashfic or a harrowing account of childhood molestation. Now, in Iowa, there’s a case of AI—which doesn’t always fully comprehend nuance in written language—being asked to interpret a law that already lacks nuance.
The result, then, is districts like Mason City asking ChatGPT, “Does [insert book here] contain a description or depiction of a sex act?” If the answer was yes, the book was removed from the district’s libraries and stored. But what about when the answer was neither yes nor no? The Bible, for example, “does contain passages that address sexual topics and relationships, but it generally avoids explicit descriptions of sexual acts,” according to ChatGPT.
When I relate this story to Exman, she says she got similar answers, where ChatGPT would say a particular book had sexual depictions but then give context. The example she gives is Patricia McCormick’s, about a young girl who gets sold into prostitution. “ChatGPT did give me what I would characterize as a ‘Yes, but’ answer,” Exman says, but “the law doesn’t have a ‘yes, but.’” Ergo, McCormick’s book is one of the 19 on her district’s list.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ChatGPT helps Iowa school district sift through books to weed out sexually explicit contentThe Mason City Community School District utilized artificial intelligence via ChatGPT to help determine which library books contained sexual material and need to be removed.
Read more »
Glendale Unified School District welcomes students to the 2023-24 school yearIt's the first day of school for Glendale Unified and students and parents said they are excited to get back to the routine
Read more »
Anchor Kimberly Hunt looks into back-to-school for Poway Unified School DistrictABC 10News Anchor Kimberly Hunt reported on the excitement surrounding the return of students to school in the Poway Unified School District located in North San Diego County.
Read more »
First day of school for Anchorage School District brings high hopes and challengesStaff welcomed students first grade and older back to school on Thursday in the Anchorage School District. While challenges are always present at the start of the new school year, district officials expect the bus driver shortage to be mostly resolved. ASD families will also need to be prepared for a one-hour later start on Mondays this academic year.
Read more »
Camden City School District wraps up summer with back-to-school fairIt’s back-to-school season and Camden City School District is getting students ready with a back-to-school fair. The fair offered useful resources for parents as well as activities for students. NBC10’s Miguel Martinez-Valle recaps the day.
Read more »
San Antonio Independent School District parents grapple with potential school consolidation due to declining enrollmentSan Antonio Independent School District exploring possibility of consolidating schools and closing several campuses.
Read more »