iPhone photo + GPT prompt": Kirill Pavlov on school "breakthroughs" in Kazakh science

Journalist and analyst Kirill Pavlov in his Telegram channel "Kazakh Chuvash" analyzed several recent news stories about school scientific achievements — and came to a disappointing conclusion: behind the loud headlines about "AI systems" and "developments with no analogues in the world" lie prompts in ChatGPT, Arduino boards worth 2,000 tenge, and sensors from AliExpress. The problem, according to Pavlov, is not the children — they are doing great. The problem is the system, which cannot distinguish real science from its imitation.

The Gist of It

• Kazinform reported that "a schoolgirl from Kyzylorda developed an AI system for detecting faint asteroids" under the guidance of a physics teacher. Pavlov determined: it involves an iPhone photo and a prompt for GPT.
• Schoolchildren from Aktau "developed a cardiac monitoring system with no analogues in the world" — an Arduino board, a pulse sensor from AliExpress for $1. The real risk: the optical finger sensor will send relatives an SMS about grandma's death every time she scratches her head.
• For a real asteroid discovery, automated surveys like Pan-STARRS or space telescopes are needed. For diagnosing arrhythmia, a multi-channel ECG and complex noise filtering are required, not a dollar sensor.
• Pavlov recalls a gallery of previous "achievements": "a heated nano-hat", "a robot janitor made from a bucket and plywood", "a voice assistant named Ali from a ninth-grader", and "a miracle system against sudden death".
• The author's conclusion: children are eager to learn — that's good. But a system where a teacher cannot tell the difference between a prompt and AI development, and a journalist does not ask clarifying questions — that's bad.

Asteroids, an iPhone, and a Little ChatGPT

MIA "Kazinform" reports:

"A schoolgirl from Kyzylorda developed an AI system for detecting faint asteroids."

All under the guidance of a physics teacher.

Pavlov quotes and analyzes:

"Everything about this news is wonderful — the ordinary school teacher supervising the development of an 'AI system,' the 'small asteroids burning up in the atmosphere,' but most of all, the journalist. To get so lost in such a simple matter is something else."

Following the analysis, it turned out: the "AI system development" is an iPhone photo plus a prompt for GPT. At the same time, the description of the blink comparator method, which helped Clyde Tombaugh discover Pluto back in 1930, is not mentioned in the Kazinform article. Instead, there are "very small asteroids" — "baby asteroids," as Pavlov ironically puts it.

For reference: to actually discover a new asteroid and enter it into the catalogs of the Minor Planet Center (MPC), powerful automated surveys — like Pan-STARRS or Catalina — or data from space telescopes are required.

Arduino, AliExpress, and "No Analogues in the World"

The second case analyzed is a cardiac monitor from Aktau. Schoolchildren "developed a system with no analogues in the world, surpassing the developments of leading medical institutes". The composition of the development:

• an Arduino board worth 2,000 tenge;
• a pulse sensor from AliExpress for $1;
• a breadboard.

Pavlov explains the practical problem: the optical finger sensor reads not only the heart rhythm but also hand movements. As a result, the system will send relatives an SMS about grandma's critical condition every time she decides to put a porcelain elephant on the TV. To recognize real arrhythmia or a heart attack, a multi-channel ECG device and complex noise filtering are needed — not a dollar sensor.

The project, however, is stuck at the stage of finding investors.

Gallery of Previous Achievements

Pavlov reminds us: this is not the first case. Previously, Kazakh media reported on:

• a charger that beeps when the battery is full;
• a prototype of wireless charging with an NFC module ("Apple abandoned the project");
• a voice assistant named "Ali" from a ninth-grader in Shymkent;
• a "smart suitcase for finding potholes on roads";
• a "heated nano-hat";
• a "robot janitor made from a bucket and plywood";
• a "bio-air conditioner made from plastic bottles";
• a "miracle system against sudden death."

"We can't just throw away such projects — this is our goodwill, our achievements, our straw airplanes that will one day fly to the mainland," Pavlov says ironically.

What the Real Problem Is

Pavlov specifically emphasizes: the children are doing great.

"The schoolgirl is definitely doing great and is eager to learn."

The complaints are not against the children, but against the system, where a teacher does not understand the difference between a prompt and AI development, the media does not ask clarifying questions, and the result is headlines that discredit real achievements in science and education.

"It's good that from school, our children are engaged in real projects and know how to assess the utopian nature of ideas," Pavlov added in conclusion.