Observations Regarding The Use Of AI And ChatGpt In Schools And Colleges

Sleepy Students

The effective use of AI in education will happen only after AI R&D aligns with grassroot level requirements. We cannot accept an AI generated image which might draw a face with clarity but smudges up the hands so that there are more or fewer number of fingers. Imagine how dangerous it would be if an AI generated image of the human anatomy lacks an important tissue, artery or vein. When I asked my students to submit a review paper on podcasts with specified themes, a few submissions looked weird. Headings were given before each paragraph. I realised that those students had used ChatGpt and had copy-pasted the entire review paper. To use AI and ChatGpt, the students could have taken a few suggestions and then written the whole paper in their words. Using AI and ChatGpt to produce entire research papers will destroy human creativity, and initiative. I know, when I was asked to create a poster on the World Yoga day, I searched for ideas on ChatGpt and then went on to create it in my own words using my own images and format. I am happy to affirm that I  was able to get valuable ideas from ChatGpt to scaffold those I already had. To be successful, AI will have to "keep humans in the loop" rather than act as autonomous entities! We need to create and promote AI models that conform to a 'shared vision for education' keeping in mind human values and dharmas, and the need to nurture compassion and sensitivity not just to the environment and nature but also to human beings. To make AI more effective, we need to ensure that the common man accepts it for being safe, usable and effective. We don't want an autonomous entity to force an aircraft to nosedive into the ground believing it to be nearing a stall. AI should 'keep educators involved and informed' so that we don't create mistrust between both entities. But then there are many more factors to be explored which, because of dearth of space cannot be listed at length.

The impact of AI on humanity has already started making its impact. As AI spreads more and more, it will have an impact on the very existence of human beings. The greatest impact will be seen by 2035. What will be impacted include human rights, creativity, human knowledge, health, emotional well-being and sociability. However, AI can also benefit human beings provided we know how to use it. It is like a Pandora's Box, a double-edged sword. We need to proceed with caution while using this tool. It should not become a 'Manhattan Project'!

Moving beyond AI- A lot of research on AI was done before ChatGPT exploded on to the scene. The use of AI in higher research work has been acknowledged. Predictive AI, political and economy trends, market trends in FMCgs, apparel, electronics have all been driven by AI based on huge amounts of data gathered from the internet. ChatGPT too has become an important tool that can prove to be a boon for researchers. I have tried it too. You need, however, to frame your questions accurately to get answers.

What is more important for us is to learn how to use AI and ChatGpt more effectively, weed out bugs, and in general work hands on these platforms. There are, however limitations to what ChatGpt and AI can do for you. Take for example asking ChatGpt stuff on which there is not data. Asking ChatGpt about an obscure person or questions about things for which there is no data will not help.

Moreover, before we launch AI in a big way, in our organizations on an AI transformation project one needs to ensure that one has first catered to talent transformation! Some leaders believe that the two are not related and they launch themselves in a big way on an AI based digital transformation project. Unfortunately, most digital transformation projects fail because the people who are supposed to use digital technology have not been trained to use it. People matter and it should be the people who drive technology, and people who use technology and not the other way around.

Fools rush in where the wise fear to tread! The mad rush to jump onto the bandwagon of AI and ChatGpt is taking the world by storm. One wonders why everyone is in a mad rush to experiment with the unknown! It is not without reason that Musk, Wozniak and other tech leaders have urged a six-month pause on AI training efforts. My father once used to tell me, half knowledge is dangerous knowledge. Wisdom and maturity suggest the need to proceed with caution and preparedness before treading into unknown territory.

It is interesting to listen to what this journalist the podcast titled 'Cheating with ChatGpt'-1 had to say about the misuse of the AI Platform-ChatGPT. Apparently, it might fail to attribute the correct statements in an English Essay to the proper context, author or even situation. The journalist went back to school to attempt a cheating experiment. It failed in the absence of the internet. She ended up with 3/6 in her thesis. In her opening paragraph, she misappropriated a line that was said by Cameron to someone else. Another takeaway after listening to this podcast is that you might use the App to firm up your essay but not to build the entire essay. Also, you would have to ask the App the right questions in order to be able to get a substantial response. Sometimes to cheat you need to be clever. ChatGPT can not be used to copy-paste an entire essay or a term paper and expect not to be caught out by an alert teacher.

In a world that is becoming more and more involved with digital technology, one wonders if AI might not affect human experiential learning, learning by doing, exploring our world, and hands on learning. When you get all your information at the at the press of a few buttons, would you really want to take the trouble of stepping out to learn, research something? Our libraries have been the earliest victims of the digital transformation, so much so that hardly any student would like to visit one. How do you cater to experiential learning in the age of AI driven technology? How do you help students appreciate the world around them without taking them out on long trips, excursions and picnics? Well, you probably use technology to give students an experience they've rarely had, and that too without taking them out. Umm, well, what does that mean? AI powered augmented reality, virtual reality, virtual goggles, gamification and a whole lot of tech tools can help provide learners with what I would call an 'immersive experience' without, of course, the need to get ones self wet while canoeing or even white water rafting! Of course, to make this 'immersive, experiential, virtual learning' effective, you would have to fall back on a few learning strategies.

The impact of AI will be felt even more the student graduates and takes up a career. When and how will AI replace your work? And which jobs will still be in demand? By 2030 AI will write better content than professional content writers. By 2030, AI will edit and take better photographs than professionals. Videos and 3-Gaming, AI will do a better job in personalizing these by 2030. So, according to Onur Yuce Gun, should we be excited about early retirement?-2 Only top-notch experts in the fields mentioned above will retain their portfolios, the rest might have to do a serious rethink about diversifying into other fields. I am sharing a definitive paper that makes research-based predictions that need to be read by all creative writers, photographers, artists and systems analysts!

Change is here and it is a fact of life today. However, it is taking place at a swift rate. Educational institutions can only survive by learning to evolve (not mutate). An accelerated evolution is the need of the hour. How can this Happen? This can happen only when the higher education leaders have a growth mindset, or, for that effect, an 'innovative mindset' and they help create a safe environment where creativity can flourish without the fear of punishment, censure or perhaps criticism. If AI can cater to such an environment then all is good! You need to have an open mindset and understand that not everyone is the same and that each person should be given the freedom to teach and learn a particular topic without being bound by a rigid lesson plan or an even more fossilized PPT Presentations. Innovation can be scary, but then if one is able to achieve the desired goals or learning targets effectively and in a better manner, then, it should surely be leveraged. I have noticed how some progressive schools that claim to be innovative are in fact enforcing rigid norms, and strict rules on how to teach a particular lesson. These schools are in fact more traditional, conservative and than others. Albert Einstein's History teacher was angry with him because he had not learned his dates and stats. When Einstein replied that he was more interested in why, in the Prussian war people were killing each other, his History teacher mocked him. Einstein was a 'misfit' according to his history teacher because he had not learned his dates and the figures of the number of people killed in the Prussian war. If we are interested in nurturing creativity in the age of AI/Chatgpt, then we will have to do more in schools and colleges to nurture the spark of creativity, the desire to learn, and curiosity and not the complacent dumbness that comes from knowing that all the critical information can be retrieved through AI from the internet.

Dymistifying ChatGPT- It is rather like resorting to deep learning, the kind of drills we once used to do, and a bit of trial and error learning- that is, you learn through your mistakes. All this involves machine learning, loads and loads of processing power and tons of data. However, if you thought you could use ChatGPT to churn out an entire research paper for your Ph.D and get away with it then you are truly mistaken. GPTZero can be used to detect whether or not the paper has been processed by AI. Of course, the ramifications are obvious. You could prepare a risk analysis/takeover plan or a project analysis paper in an hour's time. I guess technology is moving at a faster rate than we, humans are and soon, we will have to concede defeat. Also, many of the skills that we thought we were good at will become defunct. If an AI program can write a poem, a short story, or a report in lesser time than I could have done, then I will have to think of other fields to manage my creative nature. AI programs are already churning out paintings, soon they enter into other creative fields. We might as well be staring at a bleak future for ourselves where all our decisions are taken for us by Artificial Intelligence. On the other hand, a contradiction as it is, We might soon need to use AI tools in order to determine whether thesis papers and term papers have been originally written by the student. With AI tools coming into the scene and claims that ChatGPT can do much more, the very idea of submitting an 'original paper' seems to be rather wishful thinking. At least in the days to come?

The Art of Expression

On the minus side, the use of technology has already affected our students written fluency. The deterioration of the quality of written expression: syntactical and semantical skills in students in English has become appalling more so after the Covid-19 pandemic. Lack of understanding of rules of Grammar has taken its toll on written expression. For most of our students, English is a second language and we cannot expect them to learn rules of Grammar through the communicative approach! Student disengagement has increased since the Covid-19 Pandemic. Almost two years of lockdown and lack of physical interaction with others have had their impact. Injudicious use of AI will surely create an environment of disengagement.

Before using AI in a big way in our institutions we need to train ourselves to be authentic and creative. We have to train ourselves to be lifelong learners. Google for Education identifies three new trends in education. However, for those working in progressive/experiential schools, these trends might not sound so unique! The first most important trend identified by Google deals with the need for Global Problem Solvers. This would mean that we need to think and work from a global perspective. We can't afford to work inside silos. What it means is that we need to have uniform global standards in Education that address common problems. The second important trend identified relates to the need to develop new skill sets. We often refer to upskilling but then reskilling is perhaps a better term! When I joined my latest assignment, my head told me to 'unlearn everything and start anew'. Learning to work with Ed. Tech, working in crews, experimenting with flipped classrooms, all of these require new skills for those coming from traditional environments. The third most important new trend deals with the need to develop a lifelong learning mindset. In the organisation where I work, we refer to this trend as the 'growth mindset'. Both young and old can benefit a lot by developing a culture of openness in learning. People who desire to learn new things progress professionally.

AI is data hungry and it is a tool that needs tonnes of data to make a suggestion. In keeping with this many educational institutions collect data without knowing what to do with it! Multiplicity of data can often be confusing. The true purpose of collecting data is to analyse it and be able to make corrective steps, plan for the future, improve learning systems and implement strategic policy changes. Unfortunately, we tend to be more of data compilers or data collectors without really knowing what to do about it. In schools and colleges, data analysis of student academic performance at different class levels can help remediate problem areas and weak spots. Since the process of data analysis is an onerous process, the same should be done by dedicated statistical tools preferably driven by Artificial Intelligence. 

Ultimately, we don't want sleepy, complacent zombie learners like the ones in the photograph at the beginning of the article. The art of written expression will surely be affected by the injudicious and uncontrolled use of AI platforms. Before we bring AI formally into our schools and colleges, we need to introduce important guidelines and principles that will protect and promote students' creativity and initiative. I just hope AI doesn't turn into an 'Opium for the masses' replacing actual spirituality.

Will AI help us appreciate in infinite possibilities of advancement?

1. https://www.technology-in-business.net/cheating-with-chatgpt-can-openais-chatbot-pass-ap-lit-wsj/

2. https://uxdesign.cc/precisely-when-and-how-you-will-be-replaced-by-ai-b4554da44391