Introduction
After ChatGPT was launched, generative AI has been a new focus for people. However, like general AI, generative AI has been developed for decades since the 1950s, and the first generative AI system, ELIZA, was created in 1961 (Foote, 2024). Nonetheless, it is the chatGPT that has essentially empowered the generative AI and let the public know the potential power of generative AI.
I have used several generative AI models, like ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, etc. They each may have different advantages, but I believe that ChatGPT is the most suitable for me, and it has been incredibly useful. In general, it truly helps me in three ways.
- Increase the efficiency of my work and study: When conducting searches, ChatGPT can summarise a large number of materials I get and then I can only use some of them that I feel is useful, which largely reduces the amount of time I spend and lets me focus on the research itself.
- Guide me to work and study: Whenever I encounter some unfamiliar terms or topics, it can provide detailed explanations or step-by-step instructions to help me.
- Generate marvellous ideas for me: Whenever I struggle with coming up with new ideas, ChatGPT generates millions of creative ideas for me, which truly help me go on with my work or study.
The interactive experiment with Gen AI
Today, I will focus on the second part, in which chatGPT serves as a tutor, and dive into how it helps me with my current studies. To be honest, this is the most magical part of ChatGPT because it feels like a personalised tutor who can assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It has helped me so many times to work through all of the unfamiliar terms, topics and skills.
A recent example is that one of our DBA group assignments asks us to analyse data using R, but I am not familiar with R. Even after watching numerous tutorial videos on YouTube, I am still confused about how to use R sometimes. In this case, Chatgpt is a real life-saver and could guide me through it in detail. Although finishing that homework was not easy, I grasped a new skill of using R. Isn’t it remarkable?
Another example is when I am learning the concept of UML, an essential component of one of my courses, at first, I do not have a clue about what it is, and the concept seems so abstract and technological. Although our professor tried to explain it as much as he could, I am still a little confused about some details of the application of it. Therefore, I ask for GPT’s help. Amazingly, with the detailed and straightforward description and explanation, I have already grasped this new concept. In this process, what I found most valuable is that it can answer a large number of specific questions, which is the most crucial step to solving my confusion.
Improvement
Although I could not put more praise on Gen AI, there is still room for improvement. We should think about the difference between a real tutor and chatGPT, and there is a huge gap between them. Therefore, the gap is what we should try to diminish.
There are two main issues I believe should be tackled with the top priority. First, the feedback from GPT is almost text, and sometimes, this kind of response is not good enough to guide people who want to learn something totally new. Although it is hard for GPT to generate some specific tutorial images or videos now, it could search online to find relevant materials and provide links in the appropriate step to further help with the users’ study. Second, the response system of ChatGPT is passive, which means it can only answer your questions. However, if a learner is trying to explore a new area, he/she may not know what to ask. It would be much better if the ChatGPT could be proactive in such cases.
Conclusion
Overall, through my personal experience, generative AI is a truly life-changer and a new revolutionary tool for us. It can improve our working efficiency, provide us with new ideas and also guide us to learn something new. This technology is a milestone in our technology development. Although it may raise some problematic issues, the benefits it brings way outweigh the disadvantages associated, and I believe that we are able to find a way to tackle those new difficulties.
Reference
Foote, K. D. (2024, September 25). A brief history of Generative AI. DATAVERSITY. https://www.dataversity.net/a-brief-history-of-generative-ai/
