Are Robots Taking Over?

The implications of AI technology in education

By Leah Keith

In November of 2022, OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research company, released ChatGPT to the public. Unlike Google or other search engines, ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool that answers questions with conversation-like responses. For instance, you can ask ChatGPT to explain scientific theories or introduce you to a new pasta recipe, but the tool can also generate entire essays.

ChatGPT response for “What is the big bang?”

Many students, faculty and staff members at St. Kate’s have considered the implications of AI (artificial intelligence) being used in the academic setting. Some professors, like economics and political science instructor Dr. Dongfang (Julia) Hou, are already integrating discussions about AI into classroom conversations. “I teach public policy this semester, and we have a discussion topic in class about the application of AI in education.”

In class, Hou points out that although there are both harms and benefits of utilizing AI, students must be aware of how the evolving technology might impact future jobs. By learning about AI and ChatGPT, students can better understand the future of the job market. “I just want my students to know that the robots now, the AI now, can do a lot of things. We have to add our own creativity to beat the machine,” Hou said. “Otherwise, our job is in jeopardy.”

Along with Hou, other faculty and staff members have been discussing the implications of ChatGPT in the classroom setting, especially as they relate to St. Kate’s. As professionals who are concerned about students as writers, O’Neill Center Director Stacy Dean and Patty Young, Assistant Director of the Writing and Reading Center, both provide insightful considerations when examining ChatGPT.

“From our perspective, at this point the harms outweigh the benefits,” Dean and Young said. “A significant concern is that the processes involved in writing — from brainstorming to rethinking to editing — are central to the learning that should happen in higher education. Asking an AI tool to circumvent important parts of the writing and thinking process robs students of the opportunity to learn by reading, writing and thinking for themselves.”

Although ChatGPT might sound like a fast-pass to academic success, long term, this tool could hinder students’ critical thinking skills if they solely rely on AI to write. Additionally, Dean and Young mentioned that “there are problems with inaccuracies, not to mention biases, in some of the text produced by ChatGPT and presented as fact, including a lack of clear citations to the actual texts and authors used.” As ChatGPT generates text, it does not always list references, and this takes away from the original work of authors and researchers, while also making it difficult for users to track where they are getting information. “The known flaws in the current version of ChatGPT could result in the increased spread of misinformation and bias,” Dean and Young said.

Teachers and professors hold differing viewpoints on the harms and benefits of AI, depending on their area of study, the level at which they are teaching and personal opinions. Because ChatGPT is still so new, many universities and writing institutions are struggling to standardize the regulation of AI.

“Some universities have issued policies equating the use of ChatGPT with plagiarism and academic dishonesty and have banned its use entirely,” Dean and Young said. “Others are taking more nuanced approaches or leaving it to individual departments or faculty to determine what they feel is most appropriate for their students and disciplines.”

Currently, St. Kate’s does not have a formal policy regarding the use of AI in the classroom, but many conversations are taking place among students, faculty and staff members.

At the end of the day, no amount of AI technology can replace the quality of characteristics of real-life writers, but even so, I worry about future job prospects as someone who wants a career in writing. If AI can replace the jobs of real people, then who knows what I and many writers will do.

So, what do you think? Are robots taking over?