Millions of users around the world are testing the potential and limitations of ChatGPT for writing emails, poems, and even creating entire dissertations. The artificial intelligence-based text generator is now capable of writing a paper or compiling answers to exam questions. Not surprisingly, approaches to this generation of technology are being addressed and discussed both in the business community and in the university space.
Kozminski University has published its recommendations related to ChatGPT and other text, video, image, or audio generators.
The university's approach is based on an awareness of the pace of development of modern technologies and their impact, including on the education system. "We are aware that tools of this kind are available and will stay with us, changing, among other things, the way we acquire information," stresses Prof. Grzegorz Mazurek, Rector of Kozminski University. "The future belongs to people who can responsibly use the achievements of technology and think critically. The recommendations developed at Kozminski University take into account both the positive impact of technology on the development of competence and the need to respond to potential abuse."
The basis of the Kozminski University's recommendations is the assumption that the use of generators, such as ChatGPT, must be based on honesty and transparency. It is necessary to accurately mark where generators have served as support.
Practical recommendations
Kozminski University, as a university aware of the rapidly changing world, emphasizes awareness of the growing digital tools and the possibilities of using them to develop students' competencies, support their development, and shape a reflective attitude. It takes into account the creative use of technology during teaching activities, while pointing out the risks and the need to respond to potential abuses.
Prof. Aleksandra Przegalinska, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Kozminski University, emphasizes: "The university's ChatGPT recommendations are extremely important from an ethical point of view. On the one hand, they are intended to help ensure that the tool is used in accordance with best practices, while on the other hand, to define the boundaries."
In its recommendations, the university emphasizes independent work by students, as well as raising awareness of the potential risks associated with the use of generators and the potential for mistakes. Thus, in addition to elements on the utility of the tool, limitations on information retrieval and reliability are indicated. The university stresses that the answers generated by artificial intelligence can be difficult to verify, while checking the collected information is essential in order to use it in a scientific context.
KOZMINSKI UNIVERSITY RECOMMENDATIONS regarding the use of AI-based text, image, audio, and video generators, such as ChatGPT to responsibly and ethically support their own and their students' knowledge development
- Openness to the use of digital tools – including ChatGPT – to support the development of students and their reflective attitude. This can be achieved through assignments, group projects, and in-class work with the goal of improving critical thinking skills, fostering innovation, and identifying areas of application in academic and professional settings. Classes may involve discussion and value co-creation accompanied by creative use of technology.
- Permission to use tools such as ChatGPT in the research process, while strongly stressing the independence of students’ activity and transparent use of technology.
- Increasing the awareness of ChatGPT’s tendency to make mistakes, generate offensive or inappropriate content, and of potential risks such as biased results and unethical implications.
- The promotion of diversity in data sources is also important.
- Using appropriate methods and forms of examinations to properly verify students’ knowledge, skills, and social competence – in light of the potentially negative implications of using tools such as ChatGPT.
- Promoting the use of detectors designed to detect instances of content created by ChatGPT and similar tools to guarantee greater integrity and credibility in the process of developing and grading final/diploma projects or written assignments. ChatGPT-generated content is not considered content developed independently by a student.
- Preventing abuse by introducing a mechanism aimed to randomly check written projects using detectors.
- Systematically building and expanding the knowledge base on ChatGPT and similar tools, as well as creating a platform to share and exchange experiences to facilitate the ethical use of said tools in the teaching process and prevent abuse.
