Many of you will have heard about the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and the impact that this may your academic experience.
Many of you will have heard about the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and the impact that this may or may not have on the way the world works and our academic experience. We are here to break down everything Generative AI including the amazing benefits that it can have, as well as what to be careful of.
So what is Generative AI?
Generative AI is the general name for a technology that uses algorithms to generate coherent and human-like responses in response to a prompt. You can ask the AI pretty much anything, and it will generate a unique response.
Generative AI is equally efficient at creating other non-written forms of content. For example, DALL.E 2 is a tool that creates images and art from a description in natural language.
What are the benefits of Generative AI?
While thinking of the benefits of Generative AI, I decided to trial it myself, and so I asked Chat GPT, "What are the benefits of Generative AI to students?" This was its response:
This technology has the potential to be a powerful tool for students in a variety of ways. One way in which generative AI can help students is by generating new ideas and providing inspiration. By analyzing vast amounts of data related to a particular topic, generative AI can identify patterns and generate new ideas and perspectives that may not have been considered before. This can be particularly helpful in brainstorming or developing a thesis statement for a research paper.
Another way in which generative AI can assist students is by streamlining the writing process. For example, some AI tools can assist with paraphrasing, generating outlines, and even writing paragraphs. Generative AI can also be used as a study tool by generating quizzes, flashcards, and other learning materials. This can be especially helpful for subjects such as science and math, where there are often many formulas and concepts to remember.
In addition, generative AI can help students improve their language skills by generating summaries, translations, and even providing feedback on their writing. This can be particularly beneficial for students who are learning a new language or who struggle with writing and grammar.
It's obvious that the way in which we work and study is being revolutionized by Generative AI, and it appears that it’s here to stay, so let's learn how to use it to our advantage.
How can it support my learning without hindering it?
Most students at university are here to learn, achieve good grades, and hopefully eventually get a good job. Generative AI can enhance your learning, but it shouldn’t be used to replace the valuable skills we need in both our academic lives and our professional lives.
These skills include, but are not limited to, research skills - the ability to identify relevant sources and pick out the important information; critical analysis - analysing and evaluating complex ideas and theories, which are essential to make logical and informed judgments about the information presented and to develop sound arguments; time management skills - managing our workload and deadlines without sacrificing the quality of the work produced.
Relying heavily on Generative AI can hinder your ability to think for yourself and develop your ideas. We should not be using Generative AI in its entirety. Like how we have calculators but still need to learn maths, just because we have Generative AI doesn't mean we don't still need to think for ourselves.
Additional Drawbacks of Generative AI:
Experts in Generative AI have raised concerns that Generative AI tools are created by humans and so can have biases. This could lead to unfair and discriminatory outputs, so it’s important to analyse the information that it produces.
Also, it can hinder academic integrity. By relying on it in its entirety, the work produced would not be your own and will be considered plagiarism.