Highline instructors and the community voice their concerns on getting work done through the use of artificial intelligence softwares that may potentially be doing more harm than good.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence software that serves as a chatbot to help with generating text, solving problems, summarizing, and paraphrasing, and writing out reports.
“ChatGPT is an online program that uses artificial intelligence to write, edit, and respond to all kinds of questions,” English instructor Gayatri Sirohi said. “Like spellcheck, autocorrect, and grammar checkers, it is a helpful tool for writing but much more sophisticated.”
Although the chatbot is an alternative way of producing innovative ideas, there are some cons in using ChatGPT, faculty member Allison Green said.
“Be careful using ChatGPT. It changes wording as well as fixing mistakes,” she said. “…it can make factual mistakes, it is known to invent citations, it sounds impersonal and vague, and it often does not produce what the assignment is asking for. It has also said offensive, racist, and otherwise biased things.”
Allison Green also added some thoughts on how students are using the software in coursework.
“I encourage you to use ChatGPT to get ideas and to proofread but be transparent about how you use it,” she said. “At the bottom of your essays, write something like this: ‘I used ChatGPT to proofread this essay, but I wrote it myself.’”
Moving forward, instructors such as Green have established their own policy and terms on students’ usage of ChatGPT in coursework.
“Do not use ChatGPT to write assignments, in whole or in part. If it appears that ChatGPT wrote the assignment for you, I will mark it incomplete, and you will have to revise,” she says in her course syllabus. “If I see a consistent pattern of this throughout the quarter, I will make a report to the Office of Student Conduct.”
Not everyone in the community entirely agrees with this sentiment, however, and one community member shares their thoughts on students using A.I. for their homework.
“Honestly I don’t really mind that all too much, realistically at its current stage I don’t think it’ll be churning out super convincing essays anytime soon (but that’s subject to change of course) so I feel like the editing needed to make it make sense is commendable,” said Devontai Sterling, a Burien community member.
“On another note I hold the unpopular opinion that if you can cheat well enough to get away with it then you deserve the win if that makes sense,” they added.
ChatGPT isn’t the only artificial intelligence software that people are using to do work for them, and it even goes beyond the academic realm. Programs like Dream by Wombo, Dall-E mini, and NightCafe all generate art based on works done by living artists.
“From what I’ve heard in most spaces is that artists are having their works sampled by A.I. without their knowledge or consent, and logically that would also mean without any monetary compensation,” said Sterling. “There’s already so many memes about starving artists and I don’t think this’ll help.”
Non artistic professions can be helped as well. Work can be streamline and perhaps even automated, reducing the workload on frontline workers.
“I would hope that we can use A.I. to support the work we have already done or will be doing, but I also worry that the cheaper and easier option of just leaving all the work to A.I. will catch on and I don’t think I like that outcome,” said Sterling.
Despite the potential benefits of artificial intelligence, there is still plenty of gray area, and much of what is done with it isn’t fully understood yet.
“I don’t inherently dislike A.I. but I think the way it’s being used in certain spaces has a negative overall effect on people, I think it can be a fun novelty toy and I’ve even used it myself but we should be careful what we are using it for,” said Sterling. “A.I. can be cool but let’s be careful how we use it.”