The newest “AI” boogeyman is the em dash. Apparently, the large language models (LLMs) have a tendency to use em dashes. This tendency, like the use of particular vocabulary words, is being used to identify AI writing. And of course, in our modern nuance-free age, the use of AI is framed by AI-haters as cheating and by AI-lovers as appropriate use of technology.
But what if I told you that the same high school and college kids being accused of cheating because they use em dashes had been forced to learn that punctuation mark and encouraged to use that punctuation mark by ACT and College Board. Let’s delve into it!
Large Language Models (misnamed AI) are Not Intelligent
AI is not intelligent.
At least not yet. The large language models (colloquially, and incorrectly, referred to as artificial intelligence) that we currently have are not Max Headroom, Skynet, Sunny, Data/Lore, Terminator, or CP3O. They aren’t even WOPR/Joshua (and if you don’t know all the listed AIs, you and I can’t be friends). They are not thinking machines. They are fancy google searches. If we think of them that way we’ll likely get better use out of them. If you make your students/children understand that, they will likely rely on them for more appropriate tasks.
Bellowings 
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