This article is written by Nicoletta Iacobacci, Global Technology & Ethics Advisor, professor at Webster University Geneva and Jinan University Guangzhou, and author.

  • The problem: Adopting AI technologies such as ChatGPT-3 in the academic system can have both positive and negative impacts. How can we adopt AI in education, maximising the benefits and minimising the risks?
  • Why it matters: AI can be a valuable tool for educators and students enabling new forms of learning and research. However, it can perpetuate plagiarism, reduce critical thinking skills, maintain existing biases, raise privacy concerns, devalue human expertise and create accessibility issues.
  • The solution: It is crucial to approach the use of AI language models in the classroom with caution. We should develop clear policies and guidelines that ensure that these technologies are used in a responsible and ethical manner.

I'm fascinated by how the younger generation will adopt exponential technologies. I am a speaker, writer, and university professor focusing on ethics and emerging technologies. Yesterday in class, I was confronted with ChatGPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3), the newest and most advanced language model developed by OpenAI, which has been trained on a massive amount of text data and can generate human-like text in a variety of styles and formats.

Students are starting to know about it, and some have already tried it. They are so captivated that they could produce a paper in a minimal time that I couldn't avoid talking about it.

Challenge

We are facing a vast ethical dilemma: should we prepare students for the future and change our teaching methodology, so students know how to use and manage ChatGPT-3, or should we hide it and ask them to keep writing polished mid-term essays, knowing that they will rely on the model for their assignments?

ChatGPT-3 can perform various natural language processing tasks, such as language translation, summarisation and question answering. It can be fine-tuned for specific use cases and adopted in multiple applications such as chatbots, language translation, text summarisation and many more.

Academic institutions are concerned about the potential for cheating and academic dishonesty that advanced language models like ChatGPT-3 may facilitate.

However, like any advanced technology, it has the potential to have both positive and negative effects. Here are a few possible impacts that ChatGPT-3 could have on students:

  • It can reduce critical thinking and creativity.ChatGPT-3 can understand and generate natural language, which could make it easy for students to rely on the model to complete their assignments rather than think critically and creatively. And, even if it is not a perfect model and might not always generate foolproof answers, it can improve access to information, making their duty of finding content for research, essays and projects easier. Can we raise the bar by using the system to nurture student creativity?
  • It can encourage plagiarism.ChatGPT-3 can generate coherent and realistic text, which could make it easier for students to plagiarise assignments. Therefore, educating students on the importance of academic integrity is essential. For example, students should be taught not only to generate text but to have a smarter interlocutor who can point out in a concise time news, events, situations, and facts that can add depth to their research and study. Can we train students to improve their grammar, vocabulary and writing skills without plagiarising?
  • It can create confusion about what is real or fake.ChatGPT-3 content could, sometimes, lead to confusion about the authenticity of information online; therefore, it is crucial for students to learn how to evaluate the credibility of online sources and to be able to identify deepfakes or misinformation. Should the skill of verifying and validating information be taught in early schools?
  • It can limit exposure to diverse perspectives.ChatGPT-3 is based on a large text dataset, which may not represent multiple angles. But to develop critical thinking skills and have different views, students should be exposed to diverse perspectives and ideas. Can we train students to utilise the system to develop different points of view?
  • It can assist in tutoring students on various topics.ChatGPT-3 can be a good resource for exam preparation, and it can be used to practise answering exam questions and receive instant feedback. However, the system should be considered only as a tool that can be used to intensify the learning experience rather than a substitute for a human teacher. Can we create a hybrid structure where educators use the model as a teaching tool?

Encouraging a culture of laziness

Academic institutions are concerned about the potential for cheating and academic dishonesty that advanced language models like ChatGPT-3 may facilitate. In the US, for example, several schools are blocking access to the system because it can lead students to become more reliant on technology and potentially less motivated to engage in research and writing on their own.

However, we also see the potential for these models as powerful teaching tools to generate ideas quickly or organise students' thoughts. Whether ChatGPT-3 makes students lazier depends on how it is used and on the mindset of the individual student.

Additionally, ChatGPT-3 can lead to new possibilities, such as personalised learning, adaptive testing and intelligent tutoring. Can this state-of-the-art AI model be an approved and recognised tool that creates new opportunities and a better strategic approach to education and research?

Efficient collaborative environment

The model could also be utilised to encourage teamwork, such as:

Brainstorming

Students can use ChatGPT-3 to generate ideas for group projects or assignments by inputting a prompt or topic and receiving a list of related concepts and suggestions.

Writing and editing

ChatGPT-3 can assist students with reports, essays and other documents by providing grammar, syntax and word choice suggestions.

Presentation

Students can use the system to generate slides or talking points for group presentations by writing a case and receiving a set of bullet points or complete slides.

Inquiry

ChatGPT-3 can assist students with research by providing summaries of articles and sources, and generating bibliographies and citations in the appropriate format.

What next?

It's easy to assume that academic institutions and educators feel vulnerable and unsafe. There are rumours and speculation that the newest model, GPT-4, is on the way. To compare both models, GPT-3 has over 175 billion parameters to work with, while the latest release will have at least one hundred trillion.

What do we do? Should we act now or wait?

We are in the infancy of the disruption; should we empower students to manage technology rather than to be managed by it? Yes, we should, and one way to do it is to educate them on the capabilities and limitations of advanced technologies so they can make informed decisions about adopting them. It’s their duty, and it’s important to remind them that the development and implementation of advanced technology should be done considering its potential impact on society: we want to create a positive, balanced and equitable outcome for all.

I will, therefore, bring ChatGPT-3 to class.

As an ethicist working on emerging technologies, my role is to tutor and empower students with decisional power on how to use them correctly. I want them to query ChatGPT-3 for writing essays, summarising text, answering questions and generating code. If students are well tutored on the pros and cons of this impactful transformation, they will discover new and more creative ways to utilise it proactively.

What if, with AI's help, we can train them to become better students, citizens and, perhaps, better human beings?

By the way, in writing this article, I asked ChatGPT-3 if bringing ChatGPT-3 into the classroom can be a positive tool for students. The model instantly gave me both pros and cons, as if I had a person in front of me to converse with. A glimpse of reality that can be both terrifying and mesmerising.

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