The diversity, equity, and inclusion office at Vanderbilt University's college of education has apologized for using ChatGPT to write a statement following the shooting at Michigan State University earlier this month.
On Feb. 16, three days after a gunman claimed the lives of three Michigan State University students, administrators from the office of equity, diversity, and inclusion at Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education and Human Development sent an email to the college community that noted the tragedy provided an opportunity for reflection on the steps necessary to "[create] inclusive environments."
"One of the key ways to promote a culture of care on our campus is through building strong relationships with one another. This involves actively engaging with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, listening to their stories, and showing empathy and support. We can also look out for one another by noticing signs of distress and offering support to those who may be struggling with mental health issues," the email read.
The message mentioned the "recent Michigan shootings," implying multiple incidents, even though there was only one. At the bottom of the email, the statement noted that it had been "paraphrase[d] from OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language mode," indicating that the administrators had not written the email themselves.
The use of the popular AI to draft the statement was reported by the Vanderbilt Hustler, the campus student newspaper. The outlet cited a number of students who criticized the school administrators for using the resource to write the statement.
“Automating messages on grief and crisis is the most on-the-nose, explicit recognition that we as students are more customers than a community to the Vanderbilt administration," a student told the outlet. "The fact it’s from the office of EDI might be the cherry on top."
In response, Peabody College Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Nicole Joseph apologized for farming out the drafting of the email to the AI.
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“While we believe in the message of inclusivity expressed in the email, using ChatGPT to generate communications on behalf of our community in a time of sorrow and in response to a tragedy contradicts the values that characterize Peabody College,” Joseph wrote in a follow-up email. “As with all new technologies that affect higher education, this moment gives us all an opportunity to reflect on what we know and what we still must learn about AI.”