SU Professors on how Chat GPT is Changing Education | News Live at 6

By Brandon Myers

SU Professors on how Chat GPT is Changing Education | News Live at 6

The latest advancement in artificial intelligence known as Chat GPT has not only led to an increase in AI content in social media, but also restarted the discussion on the use and effects of AI in our society. So how does Chat GPT work and more importantly, should we be afraid of it and other artificial intelligences? 

According to Ferdinando Fioretto, an expert on machine learning at the school of computer science at Syracuse University, many AI’s like Chat GPT learn due to a process known as “Training”. During this process, an artificial mind is given numerous examples of text or images along with identifying information, when the AI is confronted with a new example, it will be able to predict what the example will be. For example, if an image AI is given numerous photos of cats and dogs along with information on which photo is of what, the AI will learn to predict whether a brand new image is either a cat or a dog. In the case of Chat GP, the artificial intelligence is given numerous examples of human text, and then is able to reflect a similar style when asked questions. 

While Chat GPT is still in its beta phase, it has become quite powerful, allowing it to generate complete and intellectual answers to commands. These commands can range between “Give me ideas for my son’s birthday Party” to “Write an essay about the water cycle.” The latter of these two is the main reason chat GPT has been quite controversial, as it can allow students to write out entire assignments in seconds. This incredible breach in academic integrity had led many universities to respond to the new technology. However, Syracuse University has decided to embrace the power of Chat GPT. Assistant director of student expectations Emily C. Perkins says “While developing AI platforms create potential risks to academic integrity, they also create opportunities for engaging students in exploring the limits of artificial intelligence….My colleagues and I will continue to follow the growth of these platforms and develop resources for responding to these technologies…as well as discussing ways Chat GPT can be integrated in the classroom.” 

While the power of Chat GPT can be beneficial to many students. How will it be integrated into the classroom? Teaching Assistant of tech integration in education Fasika Melese feels that the process has already begun. Today, students are already using AI such as google translate and grammarly to make their education easier and the same will be done with Chat GPT. Humans have been able to adapt to new technologies so far and they will do it again. Professor Fioretto believes that AI such as Chat GPT will be used to make human jobs easier rather than replace them. 

But the growing question remains on whether or not we should embrace artificial intelligence or fear it. Tools are already being developed to detect when something is written by Chat GPT and the AI is still in its early stages. Despite the sinister Hollywood portrayal of artificial intelligence, it has proven to drastically improve our lives for the better. Overall, the future of AI may be closer than you might think and the discussion on the ethical concerns behind the new technology have only just begun.