ChatGPT, the latest AI technology developed by OpenAI, has caused quite a stir among educators at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In a recent experiment, graduate students were asked to propose a course of action for a hypothetical case involving a teenager caught with marijuana. After an hour of discussion, the students were presented with ChatGPT’s analysis of the case. To their surprise, the students found that the AI program’s solutions closely mirrored their own.
The program suggested several generic solutions, such as reviewing the school’s existing policies and procedures regarding substance abuse and taking a compassionate approach while communicating that drug abuse will not be tolerated. The graduate students initially performed no better, speaking in formulaic, buzzworthy language that lacked any substantial approach. It wasn’t until ChatGPT pointed out their lack of imagination that the students began thinking of options that they, or any automatic language scrawler, would not have readily reached for.
At this point, the students began questioning the logic and legitimacy of existing structures, such as schooling and juvenile justice, that shape their choices and outcomes. They began to propose new, more creative approaches to the case that involved not just administrators but also teachers, students, and the offender, Jorge. A few of the ideas, such as teachers smoking weed with Jorge and abolishing schools, may sound nonsensical, but they served to disrupt the existing patterns of thinking that had kept the students trapped in a loop.
By the end of their discussion, the students had not only explored their immediate, conscience-clearing responses in Jorge’s case but also considered potential actions. They realized that it’s possible to both respect the law and to refuse it if sufficient collective power has been established. For instance, they could turn Jorge in while simultaneously threatening to go on strike if he were expelled. Rather than abolishing schools altogether, they could focus on shutting down this one particular school.
The insight provided by ChatGPT demonstrates that AI technologies can cut through buzzworthy solutions and serve as a shortcut for jumpstarting creativity. Even though the program’s initial solutions were generic, its ability to prompt the graduate students to think outside the box generated some truly unique and potentially effective ideas. In the future, AI tools like ChatGPT can be used to help educators and students to tackle complex social issues such as justice, equity, and education.
