[COMPUTER SCIENCE] Is ChatGPT the thirstiest invention yet? 💧

Whether we’re talking about that one essay due in 15 minutes, or that tricky programming assignment you just can’t figure out, today’s students find themselves sprinting to ChatGPT, the AI software that can steamroll its way through a pile of information and provide convincing (yet very deceptive) solutions in seconds. While we have all come to love ChatGPT for making our lives easier, it does pose a staggering issue. One which doesn’t even cross the minds of almost all of its users. Just how thirsty really is it?

No, not that kind of thirsty. It is estimated that a single query will use 5 GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) to process over 175 billion parameters. Since there are an estimated 10 million queries per day, both the power consumption and the heat generated by these servers are almost impossible to comprehend. The solution? Water cooling. A lot of it.

How much exactly? Many sources indicate that between 5-50 queries will require 500ml of fresh water to disperse the heat generated. Just GPT-3 alone is calculated to have used 700,000 litres of water to train the data. With the emergence of GPT-4, this figure will easily be in the millions.

💡 Things to consider

• Environmental impacts: This is an aspect that is easy to overlook at first. Sure, things like carbon emissions and deforestation have obvious impacts, but the use of water? Reflect on what the ecological impacts of dumping masses of warm water are (thermal pollution), and the effects on the local population who may rely on the source of freshwater that is being depleted.

• Should you even care?: Despite writing this article, I used an AI tool to generate the image, and I will probably continue to use ChatGPT as a tool to speed up how I develop software. So the natural reaction would be: “What a hypocrite”. Reflect on whether you think the responsibility lies on yourself, or whether it is the role of the companies to not trash the environment? Or maybe the government should impose better regulations? What are your thoughts?

• Will anything be done?: ChatGPT is not the only technological advancement where concerns have been raised about its environmental impact. Will anything be done about this issue, or is it just the price we have to pay to enjoy the technology we have today?

🔎 Find out more

• https://gizmodo.com/chatgpt-ai-water-185000-gallons-training-nuclear-1850324249

• https://blog.arcadia.com/causes-effects-thermal-pollution/

[EDUCATION] Is reading really as beneficial for your grades as teachers say? 📚

If you cast your mind back to your days in primary school, you might remember the emphasis and focus placed on developing your reading abilities both within school and at home. Educators and parents alike consider the quality of being “well-read” to be very important for both academic and personal development, as it encourages the acquisition of language skills, widens our vocabulary range and provides the foundation for all learning. But just how true is it that reading in our childhood can affect our outcomes later in life? In this educational scoop, we’re going to look into research evidence which provides the basis for the idea of the importance of reading!

💡 Things to consider

• What are the different types of reading?: You may have noticed that you feel a difference when reading out of obligation (for example, having to read a textbook for a class in school) compared to reading for pleasure (such as reading your favourite book before bed). That is because there are actually different ways to categorise reading! Clark & Rumbold (2006, p.6) proposed that reading for pleasure could be defined as “reading that we do of our own free will, anticipating the satisfaction that we will get from the act of reading…which involves materials that reflect our own choice, at a time and place that suits us.” Essentially, reading for pleasure refers to reading that is done based on our own desires, and it is this type of reading that is important for educational attainment.

• The academic benefits of reading for pleasure: There are a great number of research studies which demonstrate a positive correlation between reading for pleasure and academic progress. For example, Krashen (2004) outlines in his book, The Power of Reading, the notion that free voluntary reading is an important factor in influencing academic achievement, supported by a study conducted in a school environment where children who engaged in free reading consistently showed better literacy growth and reading ability. In addition to this, a longitudinal study conducted by Mulcahy et al (2019) found that individuals with higher reading ability were more likely to achieve higher qualifications and go into skilled employment in the future. Overall, research into this area suggests that reading for pleasure is key for cultivating academic skills.

• The overall verdict: Having considered all this, the short answer is yes, reading does indeed have educational benefits! Beyond just improving your literacy levels, it can contribute to increased academic and career prospects, better psychological wellbeing and overall life satisfaction (as concluded by Mulcahy et al, 2019). So, why not pick up a book and get back into reading today? You never know, it might just help you out at school!

🔎 Find out more

• Clark, C., & Rumbold, K. (2006). Reading for pleasure: A research overview. London. National Literacy Trust.

• Krashen, S. (2004). The power of reading. Portsmouth: Heinemann and Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.

• Mulcahy, E., Bernardes, E., & Baars, S. (2019). The relationship between reading age, education and life outcomes. https://www.cfey.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/The-relationship-between-reading-age-education-and-life-outcomes.pdf

• NB - adapted from Asiedu-Kwatchey, J. (2023). The ‘reading bug’: A reflection of the extent to which reading for pleasure is a key mechanism for cultivating reading ability and achieving academic success [Unpublished undergraduate coursework study]. University of Cambridge

[MEDICINE] Human memory: reproductive or reconstructive? 🧠

Our memory allows us to acquire, store, retain and then retrieve information. This means we can learn from our successes as well as failures in order to improve future outcomes. Mental time travel also has value for imagining ‘What if?’ scenarios and outcomes. Human memory can be split into 2 broad categories: short-term memory and long-term memory. Long-term memory can be further split to explicit memory (conscious recall e.g. general knowledge, personal events) and implicit memory (no conscious recall e.g. motor & cognitive skills). Our memories are mainly stored in an area of the brain known as the hippocampus (see patient HM for what happens when this is damaged), but it is thought that we reconstruct our past based on previous knowledge and that (mis)leading information can disrupt this process.

💡 Things to consider

• Our schema: Sir Frederick Bartlett was the first to propose the theory of reconstructive memory. His findings suggest that our memory is not like a recording and does not faithfully play back experiences. Bartlett stated that each of us have our own ‘schema’: an active organisation of our past reactions and experiences. Our memory uses this schema to organise things. So, when we recall an event, our schema tells us what is ‘supposed’ to happen. Bartlett’s ‘War of the ghosts’ study (1932), in which participants distorted elements of a ghost story to fit their schema is a famous experiment into how our schemas affect our memories. Do you think your schema has ever had an impact on your memory? Also, consider the impact serial reproduction (i.e. continually repeating an experience back to parents, friends, family etc.) has on how you remember the experience.

• Modification of memories: Our memories can be modified or created by (mis)leading information. Elizabeth Loftus revisited Bartlett’s idea in the 70s and undertook a study in which she showed participants a video of 2 cars colliding. Loftus then asked a leading question: ‘About how fast were the cars going when they ____ into each other?’. Either an intense verb (e.g. smashed) or mild verb (e.g. hit) was used. People who were read the intense verb often stated a much higher speed than those read the mild verb. Therefore, we can consider whether our memories can be reconstructed differently if they are influenced by outside biased information. This is particularly relevant when we think about eyewitnesses to crimes as they are often asked leading questions by police officers or lawyers.

• Confabulation: The reconstructive nature of memory can be seen in pathological confabulation, a condition in which people recall false memories without conscious knowledge of their falsehood. The memories are often plausible but are an imaginary recollection of an event. Confabulation is commonly the result of damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (an area of the brain which sits just above the eyes) or a condition known as Korsakoff’s syndrome. Inaccurate reconstruction of an event can be less drastic, and it’s been seen that patients incorrectly recall almost 50% of information from a GP consultation. Consider this fact and how reconstructive memory can have an impact on clinical practice as well as our day-to-day lives.

🔎 Find out more

• The ultimate guide to memory (NewScientist) 

• A basic guide to reconstructive memory 

• Patient HM (Wikipedia) 

• How reliable is your memory? (Ted talk by Elizabeth Loftus

[PHILOSOPHY] The Transmission of Affect: Why can you tell when the vibes are off? 🤨

Have you ever walked into a room and been able to feel that something isn’t quite right? Affect theory might be able to explain why…

A term first coined by Baruch Spinoza, affect refers to the way that our bodies experience emotions – think the uncomfortable feeling you get in your stomach when you know you’ve done something wrong. In recent years, affect theory has developed to consider the transmission of affect, the idea that affects can be transferred from one person to another. This process doesn’t just happen between two people, though; theorists believe that you can also absorb the atmosphere of your environment. If you’ve ever felt like you could cut the tension with a knife when you walk into a room, you might be experiencing this phenomenon. Similarly, if you find yourself laughing in a group situation even though you didn’t hear the joke, the positive affects in the air might have found their way to you.

💡 Things to consider

• Individuality: In the Western world, we typically think of ourselves as self-contained individuals who are in charge of our own emotions. How does affect theory challenge this idea? Does it create a new concept of what it means to be an individual?

• The direction of transference: We have already explored the idea of being affected by the surrounding environment. But individuals can also affect their environment, transmitting their own affects into the atmosphere. Do these affects have to be absorbed straight away? Do affects remain in a particular space even when their source of transmission is no longer there? Can affects exist in the atmosphere without a human source?

• Mind over matter: It’s a common belief that in order to get through difficult, physically demanding tasks, you just need to ‘put your mind to it’. But does our mind really have control over our body if we are constantly absorbing the affects of other people and the environment around us? And, if we consider our mind as part of our body, is our mind also impacted by the transmission of affect?

🗳️ Poll

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• 16th, 18th, 22nd October: Sidney Sussex Webinar Series 2023-Subject Matters: Making Post-16 Choices

• 17th October: Student Voices on Top Tips For Budgeting At University

• 18th October: Online information about year 12 Humanities, Science and Maths access Programmes

• 18th October: University of York Open Lecture: How much should we pay for innovation? Fair pricing for pharmaceuticals

• 19th October: A Step-by-step Guide to Writing a Standout Personal Statement

• 23rd October: History Skills Workshop - Primary Sources