What The Absolute Hell is ChatGPT?
An overview for dummies of the AI tech that could/will change the Internet so we can at least attempt to keep up with what our kids are doing online.
In case you missed it, the Internet has been going nuts the last few weeks about something called ChatGPT.
I guarantee your teen has already heard of it, and probably used it as well.
But perhaps technology is not your strongest suit, and you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.
I’m also one of the “dummies” I refer to in the subheading above.
I’m not terrible with technology, but coding and AI is next level.
So far be it for me to start writing about tech, but ChatGPT is nuts, and it’s something that could change the way we use the Internet. More to the point, it’s something that could and probably will change the way your teen uses the Internet.
While ChatGPT could be a game-changer for every industry and profession out there (my husband has already used it to help write a letter for work), what I’m interested in of course is how it might change education.
Because education will change. Maybe not tomorrow but soon. AI isn’t just coming, it’s here, and as parents we want to have at least some grip on the technology that our kids are using.
So to that end, today I want us to dip our toes into the world of AI so that as a parent, you are better prepared to help and support your teen use this new technology.
What on Earth is ChatGPT?!
To write this article I needed to ask this question myself.
Naturally I turned to Google. What is ChatGPT?
Wikipedia explains that “ChatGPT is (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022.”
A chatbot — I know what those are! The little message boxes that websites use now instead of contacting a human.
Okay, that’s not too scary.
But ChatGPT is no ordinary chatbot — it’s a chatbot based on insanely sophisticated AI.
You can have a conversation with it and ask it anything.
Wikipedia also explains, “[a]lthough the core function of a chatbot is to mimic a human conversationalist, ChatGPT is versatile. For example, it can write and debug computer programs, compose music, teleplays, fairy tales, and student essays; answer test questions (sometimes, depending on the test, at a level above the average human test-taker); write poetry and song lyrics; emulate a Linux system; simulate an entire chat room; play games like tic-tac-toe; and simulate an ATM.”
Omg. The future is here.
But seriously, did you catch that line about student essays and test questions?
ChatGPT can write student essays and answer test questions, “sometimes, depending on the test, at a level above the average human test-taker”.
!!!!
I decided I better have a look for myself. The first Google result leads me to ChatGPT itself.
I create a login and get taken to the ChatGPT interface, which is very easy to use.
So I type, write a 500 word essay on the causes of WWII.
The result?
OMG. Holy. Moly.
I tried something else. Tell me about photosynthesis, robot!
What does ChatGPT mean for education?
This is crazy stuff right?
I mean computers are a really new part of education — it’s only in the last decade or so that they have become an integral part of students’ school life.
My Dad used an ink well when he started school for crying out loud!
My school days were still very much analogue. I had a laptop for my last two years of high school and wrote a few essays on it, and did some very unsophisticated “research” using Encyclopaedia Britannica.
And now, we can have a full on conversation with a computer about any topic imaginable. This is absolutely mental.
Some obvious but crucial questions spring to mind.
How the heck are we going to prevent students from cheating?
How are we going to get students to actually think for themselves when their computer can do literally all of their work for them?!
How will online assessments cope with the existence of ChatGPT?
It’s actually mind-boggling.
This feels like an Everest / moon-landing / lightbulb moment all wrapped up in one colossal leap forward (or backward, depending on how you look at it…but that’s a conversation for another day).
Cheating using ChatGPT is already happening. Just Google “ChatGPT cheating” and you’ll see countless articles about various instances of suspected cheating and what education institutions are trying to do about it.
As far as how the education sector responds, I think with this technology being so new, nothing drastic will happen overnight. But the sector will need to be very cognisant of ChatGPT and its competitors and the challenges they present for teachers, students and parents.
I heard one commentator on the news here in NZ saying ChatGPT will force schools to embrace a more analogue-type testing. How can you trust that students are producing their own work if they’re allowed to use their computer for a test or exam?
But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom. Like with every technological advancement, yes I have concerns, but no doubt there will be benefits as well.
I’m not sure what those benefits might be for education, but we’ll see.
What do parents need to do?
Right now, parents just need to be aware of ChatGPT, so that if you hear your teen talking about it, or you see them using it, you at least know of it. You’re not in the dark.
That way, you’re able to at least have a conversation with your teen about it. You can learn about it together.
I do have concerns though.
My main concern is this: Your teen’s education is too important to be replaced with a hyper intelligent chat bot overnight.
The learning process is crucial. Not just for exams, but for life. For becoming an adult who has skills and who can think critically.
The challenge for the behemoth bureaucratic beast that is the education sector, will be trying to keep up.
I guess the same goes for parents; you’re trying to keep up with what your kids are doing online.
It will be very interesting to see what happens with ChatGPT over the next year.
My husband posed the question the other day, do you reakon in a year we’ll be saying, “I’ll just Bing-it”?
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Have you used it yet? Are you worried about your teen using it? Have they been talking about it?
Big thanks for reading.
Clare x
P.S. This Twitter thread is amusing — ChatGPT has been getting into arguments with some users.