Report by Bamidele Oluwaseyi and Sylvester Ebhonu
On the 30th of November 2022, the San-Francisco based AI research and deployment company, OpenAI, launched a free-to-use AI model in the nature of a chatbot built on their GPT-3 family of large language models that’s designed to simulate conversations with human users over the internet. With respect to the AI model’s diversity and ability to present invaluable responses in humanly understandable texts, it’s no surprise that the model has become the fastest-growing consumer application gaining 100 million active users in the first two months of its release and a statistical average of 13 million visitors per day as of January 2023 with its users ranging from engineers, programmers, artisans and even students. Yes, students!
As with every innovation in AI engineering, there’ll always be controversies surrounding the development and usage of these technologies, and ChatGPT is not eluded from these variations in opinions, especially in the educational sector. Within just weeks of its release, students of the Admiralty University of Nigeria (ADUN) have utilized ChatGPT to enhance research and aid comprehension and in like manner, they may also be impairing their cognitive problem-solving skills in respect to their overdependence on the bot. This contradiction struck the interest of media enthusiast and e-librarian of the Admiralty University of Nigeria, Mr. Sylvester Ebhonu, prior to the annual Valentine’s Day Celebration, and in the spirit of information and digital skills literacy, he’s wanted to hold a discourse session talking about the advantage and controversies surrounding the chatbot as with regards to the university community. The session would address ChatGPT as model worthy of affection to students and teachers alike, and what better period to host such than on the globally recognized ‘day of love’ – St. Valentine’s Day (14th February, 2023) at ADUN Main Library, Ibusa, Delta State.
Together with his trusty co-host Miss Treasure Samuel-Ogolo, Mr. Ebhonu, some lecturers and students of the University undertook a thrilling dialogue session on the evening of Valentine’s Day to discuss ChatGPT and its impact on students all over the world, hence the headline of this report. In attendance were; the esteemed librarian of the institution, Dr. (Mrs.) G.N. Onyia; Mr. Pius U. Ejodamen as key resource person with support from Mr. Tega Avwokuruaye, Mr. Destiny Nwosa and Mr. Abiola Olaibi; and of course, some undergraduates of the institution – Admirables Bamidele Oluwaseyi, Imianvan-Anthony Peace, Woghiren E. James and Ogbaide O. Prince – who by all means, are the core of the discussion.
Opening the dialogue, the University Librarian, Dr (Mrs.) G.N. Onyia, who shared her veracious view on technology explaining its ever-evolving nature with yesterday’s trend becoming obsolete in today’s environment. She also commended the Admirables (students) for embracing the new development in AI tech and expressed her delight in their enthusiasm and willingness to discuss its impression on students. She did, however, encourage participants to augment their success not just by adopting technology but also learning to implement it responsibly in study. Following her remarks, Mr. Pius Ejodamen, gave a general overview of AI technology, highlighting already accomplished expectations in the field and establishing a line between acquiring tech and utilizing it. Then spoke the Admirables who shared their opinionated perspective on the bot and its footprint on institutions all over. Some did support the innovation highlighting major nuances in students’ study life and how it has revamped the experience using themselves as exemplary cases while an equal number of them disdained the project giving considerable points as to why and how it can compromise the comprehensive ability of a student whilst also imbibing laziness in the individual. These refutations were certainly encouraged and proved to meet the not so elusive objective of the discourse session, which was to consider these objections and produce a feasible and acquiescent conclusion. Of course, this conclusion was met after the hosts and all participants present had weighed both sides of the argument putting into consideration all points listed out.
Yes, ChatGPT can make a student lazy. Yes, it can discourage a student from exercising his/her cognitive skill. Yes, students can overly exploit the chatbot for projects they most likely can do on their own. But these possibilities are mostly dependent on the student, because in like manner, it can also improve the individual’s ability to assimilate teachings and comprehend various subject matters. That’s why our concluding thesis advises students and academicians of all denominations, to embrace tech and utilize it in ways they know will be beneficial to their cognition. We conclusively described ChatGPT with semblance to a coin, having great benefits on one side, and grave consequences on the other. It’s a portion of technology that cannot be completely discarded but should be appreciated, and at the same time should have limits and methods of control in the lives of students. The resource person, Mr. Ejodamen, took the baton higher by admonishing lecturers and teaching staff to trim down students’ dependence on the bot by restructuring their methods of students’ assessment and implementing strategies to checkmate undergraduates whose reports and project submissions are ‘AI generated’ and not ‘AI assisted’.
That marked the end of ADUN Library Conversation – a dialogue on topical issues for enlightenment and education purposes, with this session leaving readers of the report and viewers
of the recording some choices to make and questions to ask. Will you utilize this chatbot? Will you use it for your improvement or to your detriment? What are we going to experience in AI engineering in the near future? What other facet of technology is rising next? The latter are questions we cannot answer presently, but one thing is certain, we will innovate and we will find a way to embrace it, adopt it and utilize it.
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