ChatGPT, a text-generating AI chatbot, has seen explosive growth since its launch five months ago. Already used by over 100 billion people around the world, this tool is being used in business and workplaces and has made its way onto college campuses. This has sparked an important debate regarding its potential consequences, as ChatGPT is limited to knowledge that predates 2021, cannot cite sources and has produced biased or incorrect answers.
Latin American universities are similarly grappling with how to make the most of the promise of ChatGPT while simultaneously limiting its risks. Patricia Ávila, coordinator at Unión de Universidades de América Latina y el Caribe (UDUAL), is hopeful about the potential of AI tools to “transform education” and shared that many schools are utilizing ChatGPT to improve writing, gain a deeper understanding, and assist in translation. While the potential of ChatGPT is apparent, she believes it is essential to reflect on how to implement it in the best way possible, as using it in the wrong way can result in greater inequity among those with varying levels of access.
The potential for ChatGPT to replace teachers completely has also been discussed by experts, most of whom concur that it cannot replace the relationship and empathetic listening that comes with a student-teacher partnership. Additionally, Luis Andrés Ochoa Duque of UPB Virtual in Medellin, Colombia warns that if people limit themselves to only do what ChatGPT tells them, there is not the same effort or skills needed for learning. Alejandro Artopoulos from the Center for Technological Innovation of the University of San Andrés in Buenos Aires, Argentina echoes this sentiment, noting that, “AI is not a learning opportunity or a shortcut, both are valid.”
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