Five ways artificial intelligence has already changed higher education

artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has been around for many years, but it is only in the past six months that this phenomenon has really taken off.

It is no exaggeration to say that artificial intelligence and ChatGPT have been widely discussed in the research knowledge sector in the past six months.

Opinions are many and not least different, and it has proven difficult to pin down a common path for how to deal with new technology and the fact that it is evolving faster than most of us can keep up.

In higher education, discussions have been marked by the potential for cheating. Wrote two weeks ago Chrono Among other things, NTNU now explicitly mentions ChatGPT in its examination regulations.

Other universities haven’t done so with regulations – yet.

Jobs

Times Higher Education (THE) He took a closer look at how artificial intelligence has already changed higher education internationally.

The magazine mentions five specific points, the first of which is that AI, and more specifically ChatGPT, is now forcing companies targeting higher education to rethink their business models.

Education technology company Chegg It reports, among other things, a clear decline in the number of new registrations for its textbook and course help service, and claims that more and more customers prefer to use ChatGPT for help.

On the other hand, a number of new companies have been created that provide guidance and user support towards the use of chatbots, for example.

Among other things, it is pointed out that ChatGPT can easily produce a book for an instructor or course material, and that even if it has to be quality checked, it will be cheaper anyway than letting people do the whole job themselves.

User support

The second point highlighted by Times Higher Education is ChatGPT’s ability to communicate with users and respond to questions and requests.

Many students have moved from asking moderators and lecturers to asking chatbots instead.

– ChatGPT can provide students with personalized support and advice 24 hours a day, says a professor interviewed by the magazine.

It is also highlighted that AI bots have proven to be useful teachers in terms of teaching, and it is noted that several different tools that originate in ChatGPT have already been developed, such as a plug-in that understands many different accounting concepts.

Student admission

The third point relates to fraud in student admissions and higher education applications. Many educational institutions are now taking a closer look at how to include audio and video in applications, especially when part of the application is delivered written material, for example an essay.

On the one hand, AI makes work easier for employees who have to deal with several thousand applications before acceptance.

The tool is indicated, among other things slateIt is an enrollment platform used by many prestigious universities, which can collect historical data in order to predict which applicants are most likely to succeed as students in the respective institutions.

Artificial intelligence can also be used to weed out applicants who are unlikely to be accepted as students, thus freeing up time to focus on the most relevant candidates.

Many educational institutions also use chatbots to answer questions about admissions and any further education from new and existing students.

hallucination

The fourth point has to do with ChatGPT’s tendency to hallucinate when asked to include important scholarly articles in a particular discipline.

This has led to many different challenges. Chrono It has been previously written that ChatGPT has led to new challenges for university libraries. The chatbot is capable of inventing completely fictional but believable research papers, authors and even educational institutions.

This problem, in turn, has led to other similar tools that are intensifying their efforts to be able to provide services that are not flexible, but in return provide correct information.

Problems with chatbots and so-called hallucinations and fabrications are being highlighted as one of the biggest challenges facing artificial intelligence.

forgotten treasures

The last point highlighted by Times Higher Education is the ability of AI to analyze the insane amount of research data that is produced annually all over the world.

History has shown that researchers often miss important discoveries, and that some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs have their origins in research studies that were initially ignored.

The hope is that artificial intelligence can quickly and efficiently analyze historical articles, and perhaps discover forgotten treasures.