The Good and the Bad of AI in Education

žEbner Martin, Head of Educational Technology & Irfan Jahic, Software Developer at BT-Anlagenbau at Graz University of Technology, and žSandra Schoen , Project Manager at Forum Neue Medien in der Lehre Austria and Researcher at Graz University of Technology

žEbner Martin, Head of Educational Technology & Irfan Jahic, Software Developer at BT-Anlagenbau at Graz University of Technology, and žSandra Schoen , Project Manager at Forum Neue Medien in der Lehre Austria and Researcher at Graz University of Technology

Artificial intelligence is one of the most significant developments in the age of digitalization. Perhaps it can be described as the third major evolutionary step following the invention of computers and their interconnection (the Internet), ushering in comprehensive everyday support based on machine learning, which we considered impossible just a few years ago.

Since the end of 2022, generative AIs, those capable of autonomously creating audio, videos, images, and even texts, have become part of our society. A great debate has arisen regarding the impact this particularly has on education and beyond. Discussions revolve around whether educators will become redundant, whether children will need to acquire new skills, or even if the current education system as we know it will become obsolete. Such debates are not entirely new, as they were held when the internet took over the world, Wikipedia emerged, Second Life entered our lives, or when Apple and Google smartphones began their triumph. Although we strongly do not believe that schools or universities will become extinct, it is still necessary to systematically address the topic.

Therefore, in a small research project, we conducted a first rapid literature review with the aim of determining the initial scientific findings regarding the use of ChatGPT in educational settings. In what contexts was it used, and why? Where is such usage advisable, and what negative effects are observed?

In the first analysis conducted between March and April 2023, a total of 117 literature sources were found, of which 71 were excluded in advance as irrelevant for our purpose. Five additional papers were duplicates. Therefore, we ended up with 41 papers for the first final analysis. Subsequently, a rough categorization was performed, revealing that most of the works were found in the field of medicine and related areas.

In summary, it can be pointed out that, according to existing research, ChatGPT can be used:

As a great helper during research
To produce exams on a specific topic
To produce curricula and plan courses
To assist with assessments
To encourage critical thinking
To summarize large chunks of text, such as whole chapters.

Based on the literature review, some advantages (the good) of using ChatGPT in education include:

Providing a personalized learning experience
Serving as a great writing assistant
Assisting in language learning
Generating and translating code

We also compiled a list of mentioned disadvantages (the bad) of using ChatGPT in education based on our first rapid literature review:

Plagiarism concerns
Bias due to the restriction to a limited number of sources
AI hallucinations
Privacy concerns

From our perspective, excluding AI technologies from educational institutions makes little sense. On the contrary, a meaningful implementation appears highly recommendable. It is also foreseeable that examinations or the assessment of competencies will need to be redesigned. Moreover, it is essential to train critical thinking by questioning AI-generated texts, as AI hallucinations seem to have the most significant impact on the bad site.

Lastly, I would like to mention that this text was also translated and supported by ChatGPT, providing you with a practical example of the utility of generative AI. Would you have recognized it immediately at first glance?