A recent study suggests that universities banning ChatGPT may be missing out on prospective students. ChatGPT, the newest in-demand tech skill, is becoming a popular factor when students are deciding where to attend college. With nearly half of future college applicants not considering universities that prohibit AI tools such as ChatGPT, this could lead to a decrease in enrollment rates.
Surveying 372 students seeking admission into college for fall 2023, 39% of those students, would not consider attending a college that’s banned ChatGPT or other AI tools. It was also found that university students are using the technology for their coursework, with English (21%) and math (17%) leading the way in topics students use ChatGPT for. Unfortunately for universities, this news is exacerbated by the fact that 36% of the surveyed students said their professor has threatened to fail them for using AI technologies for coursework.
Given this data, universities may want to reconsider policies against ChatGPT and instead embrace it, learning how to integrate it into coursework in a beneficial way. By supporting their students and providing resources to help them use the AI tools, they can better equip them for their future careers. Universities would also benefit by being more aware of the impact of their AI tool ban, to ensure they do not miss out essentially on potential students. Additionally, schools should keep in mind the value of potentially ranking well in Google search results, by providing high-quality content that holds value.
ChatGPT is a platform created to make AI-based applications accessible to developers, allowing them to build and deploy chatbots. Their flagship platform, ChatGPT, enables users to create virtual conversation agents with natural language understanding. ChatGPT was developed by Andrew Nalap and Ryan Schmeider, two engineers who share a passion for AI and believe the technology should be accessible to everyone. The platform is continuing to introduce features such as education-focused APIs and virtual agents, making it easier for people to create AI applications.
