ChatGPT: Living with AI in Our World Today

What is ChatGPT?

You may have heard of ChatGPT, one of the latest technological trends. Created by OpenAI in November 2022, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that somewhat works like Google. Once you sign up for an account, you can ask any question you have, and ChatGPT will provide you with the answer. 

Yet unlike Google, ChatGPT does not provide you with a list of websites where the answer is found. Instead, the chatbot will provide you with a direct response, as if it is having a conversation with you. That response will also be an in-depth answer, depending on the way in which you asked your question.

For example, if I ask the question “What is a triangle?” Chat GPT will not only give me the definition, but then provide me with a variety of in-depth information about triangles, such as their shapes, sizes, and classifications. A question like this is very generic and open-ended, meaning I will be given as much detail as ChatGPT can provide me about this topic.

If I was looking for a short definition only, I would have to say that. But it’s not enough to ask, “What is the definition of a triangle?” For that question, ChatGPT is still likely to provide paragraphs of information. Instead, I could rephrase my request by asking, “What is the definition of a triangle in one sentence?” Again, the definition may be too complex, and I might need to specify that I’m looking for an elementary-friendly definition. So, ChatGPT is like a search engine, but one which can provide us with more extensive responses that are given in an instant message form.

ChatGPT and Its Impact on Education

The concern among some educators lately is that having a source like this that is available to all students might encourage cheating. If a teacher’s goal is to have students write a 5-paragraph essay about metamorphosis, there is nothing stopping them from typing this into ChatGPT and having the bot generate a response for them. Sure, schools could block the site, but who’s to say the students won’t go home and use their own devices to complete the assignment?

Some might say for better or for worse, students are savvy and will find ways to utilize this tool. So let’s talk about the “for better” portion of this phrase. 

Recall that if you are looking for an answer to a question that is a certain length and of a certain complexity, you need to ask very specifically. This can be particularly useful when learning to code because writing programs requires the developer to be just that - very specific. Computers do not easily understand the English language, so it is the developer’s job to put the information into specific terms that the computer can analyze as a result.

If students want information from ChatGPT, they are challenged to ask specifically and correctly. This can help develop both critical thinking and algorithmic reasoning skills they need in programming. We might know what we want a program’s outcome to be, but we need to think critically about how to make that happen step-by-step. Algorithmic thinking is being able to solve a problem by breaking it down into steps, like a recipe. Students need to know the exact word-for-word sentence to provide ChatGPT to elicit the desired response. So by using this tool, we can challenge our students to ask specific questions that can serve as a stepping stone to eventually writing an entire program for a computer.

We can use this tool in other academic areas, as well. Let’s return to the 5-paragraph essay about metamorphosis and using this tool in subjects like English Language Arts. Once ChatGPT has given an answer to a question, critical thinking can come into play. Critical thinking goes beyond simple memorization and basic level understanding of concepts. It occurs when we dive below the surface of a concept to analyze it, including when we recognize themes and intertwine our background knowledge into our understanding of the provided answer. Does the essay written by ChatGPT match the requirements of the assignment? Are there sentences that may be accurate, but not necessarily on topic? As educators, we can challenge our students to analyze the bot’s responses.

Further, we can ask our students to insert their personal experiences and knowledge. Artificial intelligence is not perfect. While certainly incredible, it is not a literal human mind. The answer it supplies may relate to the subject asked, but does it provide us with a deeper analysis that only we can come upon due to our varied experiences and prior knowledge? Maybe sometimes it can, but there will be plenty of times where it can’t. To really master English Language Arts, the ability to insert your own ideas and experiences into your crafted pieces is significant. 

ChatGPT and the Future

If we want to properly prepare our students for successful futures, it is important that we adapt with changing technology and teach them how to work with what’s presented to them. At this point in time, we do not know what the future of ChatGPT is. Will it be a tool we rely on in coming years? Will it take off the way Google did? Or will it be a trend that fades over time? As with most things in life, there are always pros and cons. Yet if we want our students to be problem solvers, we have to take on that role ourselves. We can find creative ways to use this technology positively and create a valuable learning experience for our students, while helping them remain adaptable to the ever-changing future of technology.