AI, Chatbots & ChatGPT: What parents and educators need to know (part 1)
In PART 1 of this series, we’ll discuss what AI, Chatbots and ChatGPT is.
In PART 2, we’ll address some of the challenges AI creates for kids and possible solutions for educators and parents.
AI technology (artificial intelligence) has become the center of conversation lately, specifically tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing and Snapchat’s AI chatbot.
The race is on to see which platform users will adopt and embrace because that platform will be able to determine our future. (Much like users did when they decided Google search engine was the best and we created a new verb for internet searching - we “Googled” stuff.)
What is AI? What is a chatbot? What is ChatGPT? What can they do?
AI has become a catchall term for apps that perform complex tasks that once required human input. Examples are: communicating with customers online with human-like responses or playing chess similarly to how a human might play. The term is often used interchangeably with its subfields, which include machine learning (ML) and deep learning.
A chatbot is a computer program that uses AI and natural language processing (NLP) to understand human questions and automate responses to them, simulating human conversation. Our virtual assistants are examples of chatbots using audio information exchanges (Apple's Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa).
ChatGPT is a brand name of chatbot or AI. It’s an NLP tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations. It can answer questions and assist you with tasks, such as composing an essay on Einstein, writing a fantasy novel, or planning a detailed travel itinerary to Italy. It can also do computer coding, which isn’t good when the bad guys use it. Other brand names currently in the news for using AI include: Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing and Snapchat’s AI chatbot.
What is the problem with AI like ChatGPT?
While AI like ChatGPT is able to provide quick answers to questions and prompts, it also poses challenges for us as educators and parents who want our kids to experience deep learning and develop critical thinking skills.
We’ll take a look at some of the challenges that ChatGPT and other AI pose and discuss solutions that we can use to help our students learn responsibly in PART 2 of this series.