Stephanie.joseph08@gmail.com & stephanie.miodus@temple.edu
With the arrival of ChatGPT, the field of artificial intelligence has unintentionally, crossed into the murky territory of education. Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has been subjected to significant scrutiny regarding plagiarism, privacy issues, and potential data breaches (Roose, 2023; Tlili et al., 2022). We continue to see countless think pieces being published about the flaws, limitations, and inadequacies of ChatGPT (Haleem et al., 2022; Roose, 2023). While these concerns are valid, many questions regarding how ChatGPT functions and will be applied in the education sector and academia will need to be answered. It is important to consider the possibility that some reactions to OpenAI are overblown and that applications of ChatGPT are more nuanced than is understood at this time. Further, there is a need to consider if the fanfare surrounding the logistics of ChatGPT is overshadowing the potential of ChatGPT as a “revolutionary” resource, specifically to the field of education. As with any emerging technology, there are many complicated questions that have no easy answers. Nonetheless, with ChatGPT, a new era of generative artificial intelligence has arrived and there are significant implications for many fields, including education.
The integration of media and technology within education is not a new concept. Also, the controversy and pushback from stakeholders within the field are not new, and, to a degree, align with current reactions and concerns related to ChatGPT. The use of media and technology in K-12 education and higher education has been taking place at warp speed over the past 20 – 30 years (Hew & Brush, 2007; Kvavik, 2005; Norris & Soloway, 2011). With interactive smartboards, computers, laptops, virtual reality, and social media as tools for student engagement, the integration of media and technology has become common practice (Johnson et al., 2016; Delgado et al., 2015), and has allowed for more equitable access to education and learning (Dwivedi et al., 2023). ChatGPT can be viewed as an advancement of the current technological practices that are embedded within systems of education and learning.
Recognizing that, at its core, ChatGPT functions as a tool and for some individuals, a resource that can “process and generate information quickly” (Tlili et al., 2022), ChatGPT automizes information, provides guidance, and streamlines learning and research processes: saving time, resources, and providing users increased access to support (Johinke et al., 2023). ChatGPT has been successfully integrated in numerous areas to serve a variety of functions, including content generation, language translation, and recommendations concerning medical diagnoses and treatment (Lim et al., 2023).
Within the field of education, ChatGPT can conduct extraordinarily complex tasks and has the potential to revolutionize current educational praxis. Some benefits of ChatGPT include increased opportunities for tailored, adaptive, and interactive learning – where students can have greater agency over their learning. This extends to personalized tutoring – where students can receive feedback and guidance on their misconceptions on almost any topic (Dwivedi et al., 2023). Furthermore, recognizing that ChatGPT arrives on the heels of a newly re-established and still fragile field of education that is still finding its footing following the significant educational disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is significant hesitation and concern surrounding this new tool. This is to be expected, as some view ChatGPT as a disrupter of the status quo, while others view it as the future. This has yet to be decided.
The field of generative AI (programs like ChatGPT) is in its infancy. There is considerable room for growth and establishment of parameters by invested and affected stakeholders, of which psychologists and students in the field of media and technology have the potential to play a significant role in collaboration with the creators of these programs. To summarize in the words of ChatGPT, when searched by the second author, “Overall, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in education, but it’s important to use it in conjunction with other resources and to critically evaluate the information it provides” (OpenAI, 2023). We need to embrace the potential of ChatGPT, with a responsible understanding of both its strengths and limitations. To embrace ChatGPT is to embrace the future.
References
Delgado, A. J., Wardlow, L., McKnight, K., & O’Malley, K. (2015). Educational technology: A review of the integration, resources, and effectiveness of technology in k-12 classrooms. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 14, 397-416.
Dwivedi, Y. K., Kshetri, N., Hughes, L., Slade, E. L., Jeyaraj, A., Kar, A. K., … & Wright, R. (2023). “So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 71, 102642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., & Singh, R. P. (2022). An era of ChatGPT as a significant futuristic support tool: A study on features, abilities, and challenges. Bench Council Transactions on Benchmarks, Standards and Evaluations, 2(4), 100089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbench.2023.100089
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Johinke, R., Cummings, R., & Di Lauro, F. (2023). Reclaiming the technology of higher education for teaching digital writing in a post—pandemic world. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.02.01
Kvavik, R. B. (2005). Convenience, communications, and control: How students use technology. In D. G. Oblinger & J. L. Oblinger (Eds). Educating the Net Generation.(p.p. 7.1-7.20)https://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/books/educating-net-generation/convenience-communications-and-control-how-students-use-technology
Lim, W. M., Gunasekara, A., Pallant, J. L., Pallant, J. I., & Pechenkina, E. (2023). Generative AI and the future of education: Ragnarök or reformation? A paradoxical perspective from management educators. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(2), 100790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100790
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OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Legacy version [GPT-3.5]) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Roose, K. (2023). How ChatGPT kicked off an AI arms race. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/technology/chatgpt-openai-artificial-intelligence.html
Tlili, A., Shehata, B., Adarkwah, M. A., Bozkurt, A., Hickey, D. T., Huang, R., & Agyemang, B. (2023). What if the devil is my guardian angel: ChatGPT as a case study of using chatbots in education. Smart Learning Environments, 10(15). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00237-x
