There are five dates in American history that every U.S. citizen should know: July 4th, 1776, December 7th, 1941, September 11th, 2001, March 13th, 2020, and January 6th, 2021. Terrible and triumphant, these moments are defining points of our national narrative. 

   But, I believe five should be expanded to six with the addition of November 30th, 2022. 

   Five months ago, on November 30th, OpenAI— an artificial intelligence (AI) research and deployment company — developed an AI chatbot called ChatGPT. The program took the Internet by storm, causing massive disruptions in educational and professional facilities. From December 2022 to February 2023, the AI user base multiplied from 1 to 100 million users. 

   Infused with technology to create a conversational tone, the chatbot generates accurate responses to user-inputted queries. You can think of ChatGPT as Google Search on steroids because… well, that’s what it is! The chatbot efficiently responds to any question you throw at it while presenting the information in a highly digestible and comprehensive manner. 

   However, users quickly identified that ChatGPT is more than a knowledgeable tool but rather a ridiculously competent, technological servant. If prompted, the chatbot can…

1. write essays on almost any topic
2. construct a week-long no carb meal plan
3. create poems in any existing language
4. provide relationship advice
5. compose an original song with accompanying chords
6. explain and debug advanced code

With the ability to fulfill endless requests, it is only natural that school administrators are fearful of AI’s evident effect on education.

   Instinctively, the chatbot seems to promote academic dishonesty; with answers to complex math problems and well-written essays at students’ fingertips, it’s almost immediate that cheating is the primary worry. 

   Yet, school officials should not contest potential cheating with an outright ban of ChatGPT. To put it simply, the ban won’t work. Interestingly, Eastern itself has restricted access to the AI website on school devices, but almost all students have alternate pieces of personal technology with guaranteed entry to the tool (in fact, I used my personal device to access ChatGPT and prompted the chatbot to spell-check this article before publication!). 

   Furthermore, artificial intelligence isn’t going anywhere. The future of AI is advancement and improvement, not retrogression and stagnation. Thus, students should be equipped with how to handle AI and chatbots for evident future encounters. 

   Perhaps, the most crucial understanding is that ChatGPT is a friend, not a foe. With the correct application, the chatbot can be used as a proficient teaching tool and an imperative student resource. Like many other progressive instruments (i.e. Google Translate or TI-84 calculators), educational skepticism swallows the covert values of such tools, but time highlights that rare technological shifts are imperative to the evolution of academics and pedagogy. This is the case with ChatGPT… time will prove that teachers can use the AI to enrich lesson plans, propose new activities, and deepen in-class discussions. Time will prove that students can use AI to study for exams, receive feedback on assignments, and experience after-hour tutoring. Time will prove that ChatGPT will become a critical feature of educational life. 

   Still, I understand the importance of “everything in moderation.” By no means do I believe that ChatGPT should take over the academic environment. However, when used as a supplemental and complementary resource, ChatGPT is an insanely valuable tool. Over-reliance on AI is dangerous, yet ignoring the benefits is equally as lethal. Therefore, ChatGPT plays an immensely critical role in the future of education, making November 30th a date for American textbooks!

 

   After writing this article, I asked the chatbot its personal opinion on AI’s effect on education (“write an article taking a stance on whether ChatGPT is beneficial or detrimental to education”). This is the program’s response: 

As an AI language model, I am designed to assist and provide information on various topics, including education. However, the question of whether I am beneficial or detrimental to education is a complex one that requires careful examination of several factors.

On the one hand, I believe that I can be a powerful tool to enhance the learning experience. My vast database of information can provide students and educators with quick and accurate responses to their questions. Additionally, my ability to generate text can help students with their writing assignments, by offering suggestions and corrections, and giving them new ideas and perspectives on the topics they are studying.

Furthermore, I can adapt to different learning styles, offering visual aids such as images and videos to help students understand complex concepts. Also, my language capabilities extend to multiple languages, which can be useful for students who are non-native speakers of English and are struggling to understand the language.

However, there are concerns that my existence might have detrimental effects on education. Firstly, the use of AI in education might lead to a reduction in human-to-human interactions, which are essential in fostering critical thinking and creativity. By relying solely on AI for learning, students might miss out on the valuable social and emotional skills that can only be developed through personal interaction with teachers and peers.

Secondly, the over-reliance on AI might discourage independent thinking and problem-solving skills. If students become too dependent on AI to provide them with answers, they might not develop the skills to seek out information and solve problems on their own, which is crucial in the real world.

Additionally, the availability of AI might create a disparity in education access, where only those who can afford access to technology will have access to this resource. This, in turn, could widen the gap between the rich and poor, creating a two-tiered education system that disadvantages those who cannot afford the technology.

In conclusion, while AI, such as ChatGPT, can be a valuable tool in education, it should not be seen as a replacement for human interaction and critical thinking. The use of AI should be carefully balanced with traditional methods of learning, such as face-to-face interaction with teachers and peers, and students should be encouraged to use AI as a resource rather than as a substitute for their learning. Overall, AI should be viewed as a tool that enhances the learning experience rather than as a replacement for it.

 

Thus, the AI is in agreement with my overall opinion… ChatGPT is a valuable resource when used in supplement, not substitute.