As AI gradually replaces human labor, it appears that teaching positions are in jeopardy. Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into Harvard University’s coding education is progressing. As an instructor for its renowned Computer Science 50: Introduction to Computer Science (CS50) course, the institution aims to use an AI chatbot using ChatGPT’s capabilities.The program’s teachers have proposed that the advanced GPT 3.5 or GPT 4 models from OpenAI serve as the foundation for the AI teacher, demonstrating Harvard’s dedication to utilizing cutting-edge AI technology for educational purposes. Enrolled pupils will be requested to use this artificial intelligence technology when the program begins in September.
According to CS50 professor David Malan, “Our own hope is that, through AI, we can eventually approach a 1:1 teacher:student ratio for every student in CS50, by providing them with software-based tools that, 24/7, can support their learning at a pace and in a style that works best for them individually.”These capabilities will be helpful to students both on and off campus because it has long been difficult to provide support that is targeted to each student’s individual needs at scale via edX and OpenCourseWare in general, with so many students online.
The launch of the AI chatbot instructor coincides with an extraordinary rise in popularity for AI solutions. Launched in November 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has rapidly surpassed all other apps in terms of rate of growth. The chatbot gained an amazing 100 million active users in just two months. Users were drawn to the chatbot because of its wide range of abilities, which included writing poetry and essays in addition to creating computer code.Even Google has recognized that there are still issues with this technology’s accuracy and AI “hallucinations”. The dominant search engine recently issued a warning to consumers that the information provided by its AI-powered Bard may not always be accurate.
Professor Malan stresses the value of critical thinking for pupils when they encounter AI-generated content since she is aware of the possible drawbacks. He emphasized that when analyzing information, pupils must use their own discretion. He is still upbeat about these technologies’ prospects, though. He highlights the need for instructor and student input in enhancing AI’s skills. Students and teachers will be required to actively participate in the process in order to contribute to the ongoing development of this technology.