ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chat bot that was developed by the research lab OpenAI and first released to the public in November 2022. The tool is built upon an initial collection of large language models– over 300 billion words — and is being shaped and deepened by human feedback. ChatGPT is able to perform various functions, from drafting and refining original prose in response to a prompt, engaging in dialogue, gaming, writing computer code, and more. Other, similar consumer facing AI tools are in development by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. 

Technically, ChatGPT uses a complex machine learning design—called a neural network— that has interconnected layers that process text inputs (which users enter in the chat bot’s interface) to predict and offer a coherent response. The tool is conversational and responsive, and quickly becoming more capable and sophisticated. A new version–ChatGPT-4–was released on March 14th, and offers more precise responses and accepts image inputs.

The release and rapid enhancement of this tool is a harbinger of a new era of technology, and institutions must grapple with its implications. AI is likely to transform our labor, raises major ethical questions, and will impact how we produce and consume information and what we make of it. As educational technologists, our task is to use critical frameworks to anticipate and evaluate the impact this new technology might have on our educational institutions and systems. We will talk through what these transformations may be, and then will craft an intervention.

The articles below are intended to provide an introduction to the discourse around ChatGPT since its release last year, and are grouped loosely around themes. You do not need to read every piece, but do come to class on March 23rd with a set of questions you want to explore.

 As you read, keep in mind the following questions:

1. How does the tool work?
2. What is its promise, and what are its risks?
3. What are its ethical and labor implications?

Readings

Technical

• “ChatGPT: Everything You Need to Know about OpenAI’s GPT-4 Upgrade | BBC Science Focus Magazine.” n.d. https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/gpt-3/.
• “GPT-4.” https://openai.com/research/gpt-4.

Implications and Imaginaries

• Kirschenbaum, Matthew. “Prepare for the Textpocalypse.” The Atlantic, March 8, 2023. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/03/ai-chatgpt-writing-language-models/673318/.
• Klein, Ezra. “Opinion | This Changes Everything.” The New York Times, March 12, 2023, sec. Opinion. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/12/opinion/chatbots-artificial-intelligence-future-weirdness.html.
• “Opinion | Noam Chomsky: The False Promise of ChatGPT – The New York Times.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/opinion/noam-chomsky-chatgpt-ai.html.
• Bogots, Ian. “ChatGPT Is Dumber Than You Think.” The Atlantic, December 7, 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-openai-artificial-intelligence-writing-ethics/672386/.
• D’Agostino, Susan. “ChatGPT Advice Academics Can Use Now.” Inside Higher Ed, January 12, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/01/12/academic-experts-offer-advice-chatgpt.
• Marche, Stephen. “Will ChatGPT Kill the Student Essay? – The Atlantic.” The Atlantic, December 6, 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/.

Pedagogy

• 𝗧𝗖𝗘𝗔 [@TCEA]. “We All Could Use More Time! #ChatGPT Can Help You Get Some Back. Great Ideas from @finleyt 🚀🧠 #AI #teaching #edutwitter Https://T.Co/M4FKt7piz2.” Tweet. Twitter, March 8, 2023. https://twitter.com/TCEA/status/1633505444152082432.
• “Automated Essay Writing: An AIED Opinion | SpringerLink.” Accessed January 18, 2023. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40593-022-00300-7.
• “ChatGPT Both Is and Is Not Like a Calculator | Inside Higher Ed.” Accessed January 17, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/chatgpt-both-and-not-calculator.
• “ChatGPT: Threat or Menace? | Inside Higher Ed.” Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/chatgpt-threat-or-menace.
• criticalai. “CRITICAL AI: Adapting College Writing for the Age of Large Language Models Such as ChatGPT: Some Next Steps for Educators.” Critical AI, January 17, 2023. https://criticalai.org/2023/01/17/critical-ai-adapting-college-writing-for-the-age-of-large-language-models-such-as-chatgpt-some-next-steps-for-educators/.
• “Freaking Out About ChatGPT—Part I | Inside Higher Ed.” Accessed December 7, 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/freaking-out-about-chatgpt%E2%80%94part-i.
• Huang, Kalley. “Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach.” The New York Times, January 16, 2023, sec. Technology. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/technology/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-universities.html.
• Twitter. “John Warner on Twitter.” Accessed December 10, 2022. https://twitter.com/biblioracle/status/1599101797557489664.
• “Opinion | Why I’m Not Worried about My Students Using ChatGPT – The Washington Post.” Accessed February 6, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/06/college-students-professor-concerns-chatgpt/.
• The Chronicle of Higher Education. “Why I’m Not Scared of ChatGPT,” January 18, 2023. https://www-chronicle-com.ezproxy.gc.cuny.edu/article/why-im-not-scared-of-chatgpt.
• “ChatGPT & Its Impact On Teaching In Spring 2023.” Baruch College Center for Teaching and Learning. https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/ctl/chatgpt-its-impact-on-teaching-in-spring-2023/.

Economics and Labor

• Bogost, Ian. “ChatGPT Is About to Dump More Work on Everyone.” The Atlantic, February 2, 2023. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/02/chatgpt-ai-detector-machine-learning-technology-bureaucracy/672927/.
• “ChatGPT: Super Rentier – Computational Impacts.” https://monroelab.net/chatgpt-super-rentier.
• “OpenAI Used Kenyan Workers on Less Than $2 Per Hour: Exclusive | Time.”  https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/.
• “Vanderbilt University Staff Used ChatGPT To Write Email On MSU Shooting.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pocharaponneammanee/vanderbilt-email-chatgpt-ai-msu-shooting.

Surveillance

• “ChatGPT Will Lead Colleges to Increase Student Surveillance. Here’s How.” Accessed February 3, 2023. https://slate.com/technology/2023/02/chat-gpt-cheating-college-ai-detection.html.