Education reluctantly embraces bots

At leading Swedish university Lund, teachers decide which students can use artificial intelligence to help them with assignments. At the University of Western Australia in Perth, staff have talked to students about the challenges and possible benefits of using generative AI in their work, while the University of Hong Kong is allowing ChatGPT within strict limits.

Launched by Microsoft-backed OpenAI on Nov 30, ChatGPT has become the world’s fastest growing app to date and prompted the release of rivals like Google’s Bard.

GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT, draw on patterns in language and data to generate anything from essays to videos to mathematical calculations that superficially resemble human work, spurring talk of unprecedented transformation in many fields including academia.

Academics are among those who could face an existential threat if AI is able to replicate – at much faster speeds – research currently done by humans. Many also see the benefits of GenAI’s ability to process information and data, which can provide a basis for deeper critical analysis by humans.

“It can help the students to adapt the course material to their individual needs, aiding them much like a personal tutor would do,” said Leif Kari, vice president for education at Stockholm-based KTH Royal Institute of Technology.