I have fallen in love with ChatGPT. It happened when I
asked it to prepare the terminal examination question paper for my students.
The work that used to take me a week was accomplished in minutes by the AI
chatbot. ChatGPT takes seconds to return intelligent responses to our queries.
But I had to break down the question paper into many sections and so it took
minutes instead of seconds.
I use the chatbot quite frequently
and effectively in my classrooms. It can summarise lessons better than I do,
prepare instantaneous test papers, and interpret poetry elegantly. The idea of seeking
its help to prepare the question paper for the terminal examination came after
I went through CBSE’s
sample paper. Click the link I’ve provided here and you will see how much
time and effort it will take for anyone to prepare one such question paper. I
have spent a lion’s share of my life preparing such question papers and then
evaluating the students’ answer sheets.
When I went through the sample paper
cited above, an epiphany descended on me. This question paper is prepared by a
chatbot. The second reading passage gave me that revelation. It was so atypical
of CBSE. The structure of the passage looked very robotic. And then I gave the
same theme to ChatGPT and my suspicion was confirmed. Voila! I downloaded the
ChatGPT app right then on my phone and a love affair started.
Yesterday, students of grade eleven
submitted one of their project assignments to their physics teacher whose seat
happens to be next to mine. I saw the name of Stephen Hawking on one of those works
and my curiosity was turned on instantly. I checked a few more of those submissions
and realised that each one of them was a student’s review of a science book.
The young and enthusiastic teacher, whose question papers had already caught my
attention earlier because of certain innovative questions in them (like on the Mullaperiyar
dam and related controversy), told me that he wanted students to read
science books and hence asked them to do this project. “But they won’t read, I
know,” he added. “These are all written by ChatGPT.” And he laughed.
Later I asked one of my beloved
students. “Did you read A Brief History of Time?” “No,” she replied
honestly. “I got ChatGPT to do that project. But I do want to read it.” I appreciated
her frankness.
How far young students will put the
chatbot to good use, I don’t know. Many of them are likely to misuse it more. The
frivolousness with which they approach everything except what hurts their ego
is something that has left me feeling more helpless than baffled.
I am a grown-up and I know where to
draw the line while depending on AI. For example, I won’t use it for writing
the blog just because this writing is my personal expression, this is my
personal space, and I don’t want any machine to determine what my views and
feelings are.
ChatGPT can be used very productively
by students. The other day, I asked the bot to teach me the binomial theorem in
a lay person’s language and it did a marvellous job. It can teach me the theory
of relativity too. It can work wonders. But my concern is that my youngsters
aren’t interested in wonders.
Having written the above, I switched
to ChatGPT and asked: ‘What is your advice to today’s bloggers?’ The very first
counsel: 
Click to enlarge
Amen to that fitting conclusion to
this post.
The conclusion indeed takes the cake!
ReplyDeleteIt's risky to be oneself nowadays, however!
DeleteSadly, students use it to do the work for them. And they don't realize when it gives them a wrong answer. (I did a post on a kiddo who used ChatGPT to do his history work, and it gave him the wrong answer.)
ReplyDeleteThis is a serious problem though the bot has the line beneath every message that chatgpt can make mistakes.
DeleteIn other words, it is kind of ironical as it asks us to use it responsibly.The young ones must learn to do the same and simply be spoon fed.
ReplyDeleteThe irony mocks us in a way. We have created all of that: the bot, the works by it, and the risks!
DeleteGood post.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteRecent upsurge in high marks in exams here raised a curiosity as to the factors... Yup, AI boosted things. Might look good for schools and on CVs, but what has actually been learned? That it's okay to plagiarise and cheat. YAM xx
Yes, Yam, in fact the youngsters don't even see it as cheating. They think they're making use of technology. That they are saving time and energy.
DeleteLovely blog! It is so convincing that I changed my perspective about ChatGPT! Will surely take help...
ReplyDeleteIt's incredibly useful. You may need to do some editing.
DeleteI have not used AI till now. I feel I should not. Asking a machine to do what I can indicates lethargy and leaving a scope for the brain to vegetate out of underutilisation. This can have serious implications from Dementia to self alienation.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain jobs that are only laborious and are of no particular benefit for our faculties. Like preparing a 20-page question paper spending a whole week. I'd give that labour to anyone, even AI, all too happily.
Delete