“Artificial intelligence” has captivated the attention of educators worldwide since the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022. Developed by private research firm OpenAI, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) "chatbot" renowned for its ability to generate human-like text in direct response to user prompts.
What does that mean for higher education? Students can prompt ChatGPT to produce anything from a short email to a multi-paragraph essay in a matter of seconds. Understandably, this revelation sent shockwaves across academia, sparking important conversations about academic integrity, the shortcomings of traditional assessment methods, and the future of education. In the wake of ChatGPT’s introduction, generative AI technology has continued to advance rapidly, with new tools popping up all the time. Although generative AI’s long-term impact on higher education (and the world at-large) remains to be seen, two things are abundantly clear: AI is here to stay—and students are using it.
So, how do generative AI tools like ChatGPT work? How should we talk to students about generative AI? And how can we adapt our teaching? This LibGuide was created to help answer those important questions.
