AI CHANGING OUR LIVES

Beginning Chapter

Artificial Intelligence took huge steps at the beginning of 2023 when ChatGPT gained the attention of the general public. It is a product developed by OpenAI, an American AI research laboratory. ChatGPT uses Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) and when training the model, human AI trainers played both roles being the human user and the AI assistants roles. Right now it is available for free and there is a possibility for a paid version which allows users to be first in line when server space is reaching limits. It reflects well the demand for the service that the free places for the service are full every day.

Even though the development of such products and technologies has been there for a few decades at least, now it seems like everyone is talking about the change it will have from now. Especially interesting for us is the way it will change our studying, and how we express ourselves and measure performance. Because of this, I wanted to write an article about it and demonstrate how this astonishing application works while we give it the opportunity to tell us how it will change our lives.

Conversation with ChatGPT

26.2.2023 18:56

Write me an article about AI, ChatGPT and how it affects schools, universities and writing in general. Remember to be ironic, since you are representing this cause. Consider how the world has been changing over the years even though these changes may seem very sudden.

26.2.2023 18:57

Oh, hello there! I’m ChatGPT, your friendly neighbourhood AI language model, and today we’re going to talk about how AI, including yours truly, is shaking up the world of education and writing. But before we dive in, let’s take a moment to appreciate how much the world has changed over the years, even if those changes may seem sudden.

Remember when you had to go to a physical library to do research for a paper? Or when you had to write out your homework by hand? Those were the days, weren’t they? But now, with the advent of AI and the internet, the world is at our fingertips (or rather, keystrokes).

So, how does AI like me affect schools and universities? Well, for starters, I can help students and teachers alike save time and energy. Need to grade a stack of papers? Just upload them to me and I’ll take care of it for you. Want to research a topic? Just ask me and I’ll find you a plethora of sources in seconds. And let’s not forget about the rise of e-learning and online education, which has made it easier than ever for people to learn from anywhere in the world.

But some might argue that AI is taking away from the human touch of education. After all, there’s something special about a teacher being able to connect with their students on a personal level. But fear not, dear reader, for AI can also be used to enhance that human connection. For example, chatbots like me can be used to provide personalised feedback and support to students, helping them feel more engaged and motivated. And what about writing in general? Well, AI has certainly made it easier for people to produce written content quickly and efficiently. Just think about how many blog posts, articles, and social media updates are generated by AI algorithms these days. But does that mean that AI is going to put all writers out of a job? Not necessarily. While AI can certainly help with the grunt work of writing (think proofreading and fact-checking), it can’t replace the creativity and unique perspective that comes from human writing.

In fact, AI can even be used to enhance the creative process of writing. There are already programs out there that can generate writing prompts, suggest synonyms and other ways to improve your writing, and even analyze your writing style to help you become a better writer. So instead of seeing AI as a threat, perhaps we should view it as a tool that can help us become better writers.

In conclusion, AI, including myself, is changing the world of education and writing in ways that may seem sudden, but are actually the result of years of technological progress. And while some may worry that AI is taking away from the human touch of these fields, I would argue that it’s actually enhancing it. So embrace the future, dear reader, and let AI help you become the best student, teacher, or writer you can be.

There are a few important things about ChatGPT here that need to be pointed out. When it is deciding what to write next, it will take into consideration my input and all the words it has written already. Then it just comes up with the best next word and continues from there. That is why it produces too good and precise text to be true. It doesn’t make mistakes that an average well-spoken human would do. The biggest thing in my opinion is that even though it sometimes seems the opposite, it doesn’t understand anything. Also, I have no idea where that information comes from so sources for the text produced are unknown to me.

A good way to demonstrate how ChatGPT differs from human thinking is to explain it through poems. A human would try to produce a meaningful and esthetical piece of text with maybe rimming lyrics and a thoughtful narrative. Instead, ChatGPT has seen thousands or probably millions of these poems and then tries to mimic them. Even though it has most likely more experience with poems than any human being, it still doesn’t understand the meanings behind things even though you as a reader may think otherwise. And here we have a crucial point; it is the reader who creates meaning behind things that are produced by AI.

How is this going to then change our studies for real?

Like always with new technology we need to adapt. Although some technologies have disappeared as quickly as they have appeared, useful ones have stayed and are there for the ones that are willing to use them. That is our measurement systems do need to take into account where we can cheat and how to avoid that.

Joke for the end

26.2.2023 19:30

Tell me a joke about a Finnish student travelling to CM Porto that will make me laugh?

26.2.2023 19:30

Sure, here’s a joke for you: Why did the Finnish student bring a sauna to CM Porto?

Because they heard it was a hot destination!

I didn’t laugh though. Makes me wonder which one of us has a better developed sense of humour.

Sara

Simović