Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is a computational technique and a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that is designed to create content, such as text, images or music. It focuses on creating new content based on the existing data and has multiple applications (Feuerriegel, et al., 2023). It is worth noting that it is used not only in the artistic field but also in others such as business and medicine (Zhang & Boulos, 2023). Since 2022 it has also become an important element of education as it allows the creation of virtual tutors, answers student questions, and provides personalized learning experiences (Su & Yang, 2023).
My most interesting experience related to GAI, was gained during my job as a Teaching Assistant at the EUR. As part of my job, I had to grade papers for the course Digital Business in which one of the main learning objectives was to learn how to use ChatGPT to study and work efficiently. The main tasks of the assignment included writing an essay on a digital business-related topic with various types of prompts and several iterations to achieve possibly the highest quality which is also backed up with scientific sources.
Throughout the work, it turned out that not only did students struggle with the efficient use of ChatGPT but also lacked knowledge of its limitations such as returning fake references or interpreting the prompts in a very direct manner, often leading to low-quality of papers and a risk of plagiarism. I believe that it is essential for students, educators and business practitioners to learn how to use GAI as an effective tool that can enhance the efficiency and quality of our work, but it needs to be done responsibly with appropriate policies and control mechanisms.
Some examples of low-quality prompts I encountered at my job:
- ‘Improve this text’
- ‘Tell me something you know about X’
- ‘Give me references for topic Y’
I would love to hear your thoughts on how EUR is embracing GAI and if it is necessary!
References:
Feuerriegel, S., Hartmann, J., Janiesch, C. et al. Generative AI. Bus Inf Syst Eng (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00834-7
Su, J., & Yang, W. (2023). Unlocking the power of ChatGPT: a framework for applying generative AI in education. ECNU Review of Education, 6(3), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311231168423
Zhang, P., & Boulos, M. N. K. (2023). Generative AI in Medicine and Healthcare: Promises, Opportunities and Challenges. Future Internet, 15(9), 286. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi15090286
