MEET THE TEACHER REQUIRING STUDENTS TO USE ChatGPT

> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS.'

I'M JACK FORD.

A NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM, CHATGPT IS SWEEPING THE INTERNET.

THE FREE SOFTWARE IS CAPABLE OF DOING ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM WRIGHT ESSAYS, FILM SCRIPTS, AND POETRY TO PASSING GRADUATE LEVEL LAW AND BUSINESS SCHOOL EXAMS.

THIS REVOLUTIONARY SOFTWARE, WHILE NO DOUBT EXCITING, IS ALSO CONCERNING FOR SOME EDUCATORS WHO FEEL STUDENTS COULD USE IT TO EASILY CHEAT ON ASSIGNMENTS.

NEW YORK CITY IS ONE OF SEVERAL LARGE DISTRICTS THAT ALREADY BANNED STUDENTS FROM USING CHATGPT AS OFFICIALS REVIEW THE POTENTIAL PROS AND CONS OF GIVING STUDENTS ACCESS TO SUCH A POWERFUL RESOURCE.

WHILE CHATGPT CERTAINLY HAS ITS CRITICS, THERE ARE OTHER EDUCATOR WHO IS FEEL THE SOFTWARE CAN BE AN INCREDIBLY USEFUL TOOL AS LONG AS WE TEACH THEM TO USE IT THE RIGHT WAY.

JOINING US FOR MORE ON CHATGPT AND WHY HE'S NOT ONLY ENCOURAGING HIS STUDENTS BUT REQUIRING IT IN SOME FASHION IS DR. ETHAN MOLLICK, AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT THE WHARTON SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

I'M WAITING TO SEE WHAT MY FINAL PAPERS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE HERE, SO THIS IS AN ESPECIALLY RELEVANT CONVERSATION FOR ME TO HAVE WITH YOU AND ALL OF OUR VIEWERS.

LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING, WHICH IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT THIS IS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CHATGPT AND WHAT ITS ABILITIES ARE.

SURE, SO IT'S OFTEN CALLED A.I., BUT A.I. IS AN IMPRECISE TERM THAT MEANS A LOT OF THINGS.

CHATGPT IS WHAT'S CALLED A LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL.

THINK OF IT AS AUTOCOMPLETE BEATS A ROBOT.

IT CAN CREATE TEXT FOR YOU BASED ON WHATEVER YOU ASKED IT, HAVING LEARNED EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET THROUGH OCTOBER 2021.

IT'S A CONCEPT THAT'S HARD TO GET NOT ONLY YOUR BRAINS BUT YOUR ARMS AROUND.

HOW BIG IS THIS?

THESE MODELS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS.

GPT HAS BEEN AROUND A YEAR AND A HALF.

PEOPLE GOT ANXIOUS ABOUT IT.

IT PRODUCED C MINUS ESSAYS.

THAT WAS UPDATED AT THE END OF NOVEMBER WITH CHATGPT AND GPT 3.5, SAME THING.

SUDDENLY EVEN THOUGH THE TECHNOLOGY IS THE SAME, THE MODEL, SOMETHING BIG HAPPENED AND CAPABILIIES WENT FROM MEDIOCRE TO STUNNING.

THERE WAS AN INITIAL REACTION AMONG MANY EDUCATORS SAYING THIS CAN'T BE GOOD FOR OUR STUDENTS AND ORIGINAL THINKING, BUT LET'S FOCUS ON YOUR VIEW OF THIS AND WHY YOU CONCLUDED THIS CAN BE A VALUABLE TOOL.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS SO?

SO, WHAT'S FASCINATING ABOUT USING THIS -- AND I'D RECOMMEND THERE'S A FREE VERSION AVAILABLE, AND EVERYBODY SHOULD TRY THIS OUT AND NOT JUST FOR A FEW MINUTES.

YOU GOT TO SPEND LIKE AN HOUR TO KIND OF GET IT.

A BUNCH OF GUIDANCE AND STUFF TO IT.

BUT I THINK WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS FOR WRITING IT DOES ALL SORTS OF AMAZING THINGS.

FOR EXAMPLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T GREAT AT GENERATING IDEAS.

IT WILL BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU 50 IDEAS FOR A PROJECT TO DO.

NOT ONLY GOOD, BUT SOME GREAT.

IT CAN TAKE IS SYNTHESIZE ACADEMIC INFORMATION.

YOU CAN PUT AN ACADEMIC PAINER IN AND ASK IT TO SUMMARIZE IT.

YOU CAN PUT YOUR WRITING IN AND MAKE IT PUNCHIER.

WE HAVE A VENN TOOL, FEELS LIKE SOMETHING WE SHOULD INCORPORATE RATHER THAN FIGHT.

EXPLAIN US TO SOME OF YOUR COURSES, WHAT YOU TEACH AND HOW YOU FEEL YOU CAN INCORPORATE THAT IN A SAFE ACADEMIC FASHION.

LET ME TELL YOU HOW I COULDN'T STOP IT.

I STARTED USING CHATGPT FROM THE BEGINNING BECAUSE I ALREADY HAD BEEN PLAYING WITH THE A.I.

SYSTEMS.

CAME OUT, AND TUESDAY I INTRODUCED IT TO MY CLASS.

BY THE END OF THE FIRST CLASS, ONE OF MY STUDENTS CREATED A COMPLETE WORKING DEMO WITH CODE USING A CODING LIBRARY THEY NEVER USED BEFORE.

I POSTED ON TWITTER, THEY HAD THREE VENTURE CAPITAL THAT NIGHT.

EXPLAIN A CONCEPT THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, TELL THEM A TEST RESULT.

IT'S BEING USED EVERYWHERE.

CHEATING IS ONE POSSIBILITY BUCK NOT THE ONLY ONE.

IN MY CLASSES I REQUIRE IT ALL OVER I EXPECT MY STUDENTS TO USE IT TO GENERATE IDEAS, HELP THEM RIGHT ESSAYS I INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF THINS THEY HAVE TO WRITE AND DIVERSITY ALL BECAUSE THIS TOOL MAKES ITS EASIER TO DO SO.

WE SEE OFTENTIMES FOLKS SUGGESTING A COMPARISON SAYING, WAIT, DON'T BE ALARMED.

THIS IS PROGRESS.

GO BACK TO THE DAYS WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND EVEN COLLEGE ALTHOUGH AS A HISTORY MAJOR I DIDN'T TAKE A WHOLE LOT OF MATH COURSES.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU COULD NOT USE CALCULATORS, AND THEN THIS WAS KIND OF AN EARTH SHATTERING MOMENT FOR SOME TRADITIONALISTS WHEN FOLKS SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, WHY CAN'T YOU USE CALCULATORS IN YOUR CLASS TO HELP YOU?

IS THAT A VIABLE PARALLEL, DO YOU THINK, FOR WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE?

I THINK IN THE SHORT-TERM, VERY MUCH SO.

IN THE SHORT-TERM THIS IS LIKE A CALCULATOR.

IF YOU'RE TAKING A WRITING CLASS WHERE COMPOSITION IS GOING TO MATTER.

JUST LIKE A KALA LATER YOU'LL NEED TO USE A BLUE BOOK AND HANDWRITE THINGS.

FOR CLASSES WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO ADVANCED MATH OR WRITING WE CAN DO MORE OF THAT BECAUSE IT'S BETTER.

IN THE LONG-TERM, THE REAL QUESTIONS ARE, THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR THE CLASSROOM.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE REAL WORLD?

THAT'S THE REAL ISSUE.

I'VE SEEN SOME OBSERVATIONS MADE.

CERTAINLY THIS IS EVEN AMONG SUPPORTERS OF THE IDEA.

I MIGHT HAVE SEEN IT ON THE WEBSITE FOR OPEN A.I. WHO DEVELOPED THIS.

THEY SAY THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CAUTION HERE AS TO HOW THIS COMES OUT, AND ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS I SAW WAS, THE ABILITY OF THE HUMAN MIND TO CRAFT WORDS AND THOUGHTS AND IDEAS, AND PERHAPS THIS ISN'T AT THAT LEVEL.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?

SO, NOT TO GET TOO AHEAD OF THE GAME, BUT JUST YESTERDAY I WAS GIVEN ACCESS TO THE NEWEST A.I., WHICH IS BING'S A.I., OPEN A.I., CHATGPT ON SOME SORT OF STEROIDS ATTACHED TO THE INT A NET.

I ASKED IT TO WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON EATING CAKE.

THEN I TOLD IT TO LOOK UP KURT VON GUT'S WRITING STYLE AND TOLD IT TO APPLY IT.

YOU TOLD ME THERE NEEDS TO BE ANTAGONISTS AND DRAMA AND SARCASM.

I WAS BLOWN AWAY.

IS IT AS GOOD AS THE BEST HUMAN WRITERS?

NO.

IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOUR MONTHS AGO AND COULDN'T WRITE AT ALL, 'B' LEVEL CLASSES TO THIS?

WE HAVE A PROGRESSION THAT IS A PRETTY FAST ONE.

I'M ALL FOR HUMAN INGENUITY PLAYING A ROLE, BUT WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS THAT WHAT THE SYSTEMS DO TODAY IS WHAT THEY'LL KEEP DOING.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE OBJECTIONS.

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT MAY WELL RESONATE WITH YOU AND CERTAINLY WITH THEM AS TO WHY THEY ARE TO SOME DEGREE OR OTHER UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE UTILIZATION OF THIS PROGRAM?

I THINK IT BREAKS DOWN TO A FEW THINGS.

ONE IS THE CAPABILITIES OF THE SYSTEM ITSELF.

SO CHATGPT AND ALL LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS AT THIS STAGE LIE.

THEY LIE A LOT.

THEY LIE SAMELESSLY AND CONVINCINGLY.

ARE THEY POLITICIANS?

IS WHAT THEY'VE CREATED THEMSELVES AT?

SORRY, AN EDITORIAL COMMENT.

COULDN'T HELP MYSELF.

SORRY.

YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO DO THAT.

THEY DON'T DO IT WITH INTENT.

THEY HALLUCINATE.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S -- IT'S GENERATING INFORMATION THAT'S PLAUSIBLE, AND ONCE IT RUNS OUT OF RAIL, IT STARTS MAKING STUFF UP.

IT'S SO PLAUSIBLE I USE AN A.I.

SYSTEM THAT'S TRAINED ON MY TWITTER FEED TO GENERATE -- I ASK THE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER ON MY BEHALF, AND IT STARTED CITING PAPERS THAT SEEMED SO PLAUSIBLE THAT I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN THEM AND NOT REMEMBERED FROM TEN YEARS AGO.

BUT THEY'RE REALLY FAKE, RIGHT?

SO IT MAKES UP INFORMATION.

SO THAT'S THE FIRST PROBLEM.

RIGHT.

AND THAT'S TROUBLING.

THAT IS TROUBLING.

SO WHAT I DO IN MY CLASS IS, I SAY, IT MAKES UP INFORMATION.

IF YOU'RE NOT AN EXPERT IN THE TOPIC, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL AND I'M GOING TO GRADE YOU BASED ON THE ACCURACY OF YOUR RESULTS.

SO YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE IT HALLUCINATES AND YOU HAVE TO USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, OR AVOID IT AND DISADVANTAGE RATHER.

YOU HAVE BUSINESS COURSES AND VARIOUS MODELS.

I TEACH AN UNDERGRADUATE SEMINAR AT YALE ON FAMOUS TRIAL, AND AS OUR FINAL PROJECT, EACH OF MY 18 STUDENTS NEED TO FIND A TRIAL THAT'S OUT THERE, NOT OF THE 12 WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, BUT OTHERS.

AND THEN THEY HAVE TO WRITE ABOUT IT.

THEY HAVE TO WRITE WHY IT WAS SIGNIFICANT, THE LEGAL IMP IMPLICATION, THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS, HISTORICAL CONSEQUENCES.

ESSENTIALLY WHY IT SHOULD BE VIEWED AS OF VALUE.

CERTAINLY TO THEM AND MAYBE TO OTHERS.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK THIS WOULD LEND ITSELF TO, OR IS THAT SOMETHING I SHOULD BE FEARFUL OF?

SO, I WOULD SAY A WEEK AGO THAT THIS SHOULD BE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD EMBRACE, BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT SOPHISTICATED ANALYSIS.

IT WOULD MAKE SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED LIKE IT, BUT YOU AS A PROFESSOR WOULD KNOW IT.

SOME STUDENTS ENGLISH IS A SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH LANGUAGE.

LOTS TO LEARN, BUT WE SAY WRITING IS INTELLIGENCE.

IT ISN'T AUTOMATION I WOULD HAVE SAID, IT'S GREAT.

IT WILL BE A TOOL TO HELP THEM BECOME BETTER WRITERS.

YOU HAVE TO BE NERVOUS, BECAUSE IT WILL CREATE MORE CONTENT WITHOUT BEING AS THOUGHTFUL, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING INTERESTING THERE.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT BING A.I.

IS CAPABLE OF DOING ANALYSIS WHERE YOU SAY, HERE'S THE ASSIGNMENT, WRITE ME 2,000 WARS ABOUT IT, AND IT DOES SOMETHING INCREDIBLE WITH THAT.

THE WORLD IS CHANGING PRETTY QUICKLY.

WHAT I CAN SAY IS MY ADVICE LAST WEEK WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN THIS WEEK WOMEN NEED TO STAY TUNED.

PRETTY GOOD INDICATOR HOW QUICKLY THE WORLD IS CHANGING.

BRINGS ME TO MY LAST QUESTION.

FASCINATING CONVERSATION.

WE COULD TALK FOR HOURS.

MINUTE AND A HALF LEFT, MAYBE LESS.

WORLD IS CHANGING RAPIDLY.

FIVE YEARS FROM NOW IN YOUR CLASSROOM AND MY CLASSROOM AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOMS, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO LOOK LIKE?

I DON'T KNOW.

THE TECHNOLOGY'S INCREASING BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE EVERY YEAR.

I WAS ABLE TO CREATE A DEEP FAKE LECTURE OF MYSELF WHERE I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.

THE A.I. CREATED THE SPEECH.

I SAID WRITE A SPEECH LIKE ETHAN MOLLICK, IT DID THAT WAS GOOD AND ACCURATE.

I SYNTHESIZED MY VOICE FROM A MINUTE OF SPEECH, AND ANOTHER THAT GENERATED ANIMATED IMAGES OF ME TALKING FROM A SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH.

I CREATED A LECTURE WITH NO WORK.

THAT'S NOW, RIGHT?

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?

REALLY HARD TO KNOW.

USUALLY WE SAY TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T CHANGE STUFF THAT MUCH, RIGHT?

I DON'T KNOW, THE PACE OF CHANGE IS REALLY FAST, AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY COULD GIVE YOU AN ACCURATE PREDICTION BECAUSE NOBODY SAW THIS COMING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I THINK MOSTLY WILL BE ON RAILS, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF INTERESTING STUFF HAPPENING AT A PACE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN ALL MY CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

AS YOU SAY, STAY TUNED.

THIS WAS WONDERFUL.

I CAN SEE WHY YOU'RE A FABULOUS PROFESSOR.

YOU'VE EXPLAINED THIS WONDERFULLY TO ALL OF US.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME, AND I'LL CERTAINLY TALK WITH YOU DOWN THE ROAD TO GET UPDATES ON ALL THIS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, YOU TOO.