Sarah Borders

In ninth grade, I took a course in computer science where I learned my first programming language, Pascal. Every class brought a new learning and a new problem to solve. I don't remember the language at all—if you don't use it, you lose it, but I have retained the most valuable lesson: A computer is only as smart as its user. That's how I know ChatGPT won't replace us. It's not because we're smarter; it's because, in a way, we're dumber. What's more, I would argue that replacing us was never the point or even the danger of artificial intelligence. Armed with the power of well-written algorithms and well-chosen learning datasets, machines can do amazing things. They can recommend new products to buy based on your past purchases, they can learn enough to drive cars reasonably well, and apparently, the latest version of GPT, GPT-4, can even pass the Uniform Bar Exam. Can GPT-4 argue and win a case in court? Maybe, but I am willing to bet its win rate

I have never had the opportunity to manage a project where I needed to manage the budget. As a public librarian working in adult programming and outreach, I did manage our annual programming budget, but that's a different kettle of fish. The primary idea there was to pace ourselves with booking author events and other programs and, at the end of the fiscal year, procure needed equipment and other relevant items to prevent ending with a surplus. When I went through formal education to learn project management principles, we learned about Earned Value Management (EVM) and how it helps to determine project health by evaluating the variances and performance of the project triangle: scope, schedule, and cost. Each side balances against the other, so that whenever one area is adjusted, the other two are affected. It's a useful visual; you can't add items to a project scope (extending the scope line of the triangle) and keep the triangle together without affecting either the timel