A recent study by the Pew Research Center reveals that approximately one in five teenagers who are familiar with ChatGPT have admitted to using this OpenAI technology to assist them with their schoolwork.
This means that about 13% of all teenagers in the United States have utilized this chatbot for their academic needs.
The study primarily focused on teenagers aged 13 to 17 and unveiled an interesting trend: older students were more inclined to use ChatGPT for their school assignments.
Pengcheng Shi, an associate dean at the Rochester Institute of Technology, acknowledged the widespread usage of ChatGPT among students.
“It’s out there,” Shi told the New York Post. “You cannot stop people from using it, so now the question becomes, how to best use it.”
The study also delved into the ethical dimension of ChatGPT’s usage. It found that while most students found it acceptable to use ChatGPT for researching new topics, they were less comfortable using it for solving math problems or writing essays.
About 20% of students were uncertain about the ethical implications of employing this technology in various scenarios.
Educators and experts weighed in on this matter, offering diverse perspectives.
Jamie Cohen, an assistant professor at CUNY Queens College told the Post, “I think the pressure here is less on students, and much more on faculty to really find a way to incorporate new technologies.”
“You have to explain how these systems work, what the data sets are, why the data sets are flawed and why this isn’t an acceptable way of handing in a paper,” Cohen said.
Shi echoed these sentiments, asserting that using ChatGPT should not be viewed as cheating. He advocated for a more adaptive approach by educators, encouraging them to embrace this technology as an opportunity to reshape their teaching methods and reassess educational objectives.
However, not all educators share this perspective, and some consider the use of AI like ChatGPT as a form of cheating. Instances of academic scandals related to AI usage have emerged across the nation, raising concerns about its impact on education.
As the adoption of ChatGPT and similar advanced AI technologies continues to grow, experts offer contrasting predictions. Some believe that these tools could render certain college degrees and jobs obsolete, while others argue that they represent just one facet of future technologies that will expedite learning and knowledge acquisition.
The debate over the role of AI in education is likely to persist, with educators, students, and policymakers navigating the complex terrain of ethics and effectiveness as these technologies become more prevalent and accessable.
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