generative AI

This is what lies at the heart of the chatbot, a piece of software which uses auditory or textual prompts to mimic the responses of a human being, either by voice or text.  The problem is that suddenly generative AI (generative artificial intelligence) is much more successful than it has ever been before, as proved by ChatGPT, which can produce text that is astonishingly readable and comprehensive.  There is the odd mistake so it always needs to be checked but as a first draft it is very successful.

These chatbots are very good at summarising information already available and producing an appropriate style of writing.  This means, for example, that they can produce essays for students in their early years at University where demonstrating that you have covered the course is what counts. What chatbots can’t do is express an opinion so they fail in higher-level academic writing.

They are already being used in business. They have been banned in schools but there are those who argue that they are here to stay and education has to find a way of using them effectively. Teaching the students how to check for mistakes is probably not bad training.