- Define what AI (LLMs) actually is and how it works. AI assistants from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are getting super-smart super fast. But…how is that happening – use of ai outside of academic contexts
AI is a technology that allows computers to simulate human learning and creativity by the use of large language models. A large language model is a system that is trained on a very large amount of data to be able to generate and predict human language in various ways. AI evolves so quickly because of the vast amount of data it is able to process and its ability to learn from this data. AI understands information through machine learning and deep learning, which use neural networks that simulate neurons in the brain. Information first comes through an input layer and is then manipulated by hidden layers, which recognize complex patterns and relationships within the data. The information then comes out of the output layer. Through this process, the network can recognize images, understand and process language and make predictions based on the data.
Economists use AI to predict and anticipate market increases and decreases, when provided with a good estimate and projection of the market, they can assess the demand and therefore an approximation of supply. Instead of being left guessing they can act accordingly in advance. Artificial intelligence is able to effectively predict inflation rates and their consequences.
- Reference the AI script your group has generated for analysis. This can just be observations about rhetorical features of the script–tone, diction, structure, audience etc. You could also point out how the AI is citing (or not citing) sources.
Our script: “What do City College students do for fun”
The script generated by AI doesn’t account for the fact that City College students are mostly commuters, and a large majority of them feel disconnected. Asking questions about specific schools can be skewed at the end of the day, this is a robot and can never be a real human student attending classes at City College. It is problematic to treat ChatGPT as a companion or peer. It becomes dangerous when students substitute human connection with open AI because of the fact that AI will never be able to fully and completely imitate human behavior. The truth is, many students at commuter schools struggle to make friends, so things like “watch a movie with friends” highlight a lack of insight that can only be achieved by human experience.
- Identify some (2 or 3) problems with using generative AI in academic contexts:
Overusing AI for simple questions creates a dangerous dependency where individuals, particularly students become unable to complete assignments without it. Eventually, it becomes a substitute for thinking- Downgrade in quality of research – makes people stupider overall.
Open AI software is not always correct – asking AI questions constantly and almost never turning to libraries, academic databases, and alternative search engines creates a bias and puts the individual in danger of spreading misinformation. When asking Chat GPT a question, you get no sources and no basis for the information you’re given- blindly believing AI can be dangerous, as you are given responses that are fundamentally subject to question and doubt.
- Identify some (2 or 3) ways that AI can be used ethically in academic contexts:
Use Chat GPT as a citation generator, a substitute for EasyBib. Using it as an aid for structure rather than content.
Using AI to aid in the creation of an essay framework, asking the platform to provide (sections, lists, topics).
Sources Accessed:
Free Associations: Psychoanalysis and Culture, Media, Groups, Politics Number 88, Spring 2023 ISSN: 2047-0622 URL: http://www.freeassociations.org.uk/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/economy/ai-impact-on-economists-job ‘
