Generative AI’s Devil is in the Details

Proceedings of The 3rd World Conference on Media and Communication

Year: 2023

DOI:

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Generative AI’s Devil is in the Details

Dr. Melanie Borrego, Dr. Ned Camuso

ABSTRACT: 

James M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, wrote that “The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of our age, one sometimes forgets which.” This is the age-old complaint of all new and revolutionary communications technologies. The two evils often cited, from the creation of writing in the ancient world to modern spell checkers, are a loss of memory and the deliberate or careless dissemination of inaccuracies. It comes as no surprise to academics that generative AI technology is often biased and inaccurate, because the data is biased and inaccurate. To underscore the point, ChatGPT attributes Barrie’s quote to Erasmus of Rotterdam, a misattribution that, while possibly in line with some of Erasmus’s views, is wrong. One approach being adopted by universities in the U.S. has been to strengthen academic integrity policies to include misuse of AI. However, rather than using punitive measures, students ought to be taught how to review AI generated responses to identify and correct inaccuracies. This poster presentation advocates for lessons focused on the ethical use of generative AI technology. Many educators already teach good research skills that are easily adapted to this purpose. Our poster presentation links to more detailed suggestions for incorporating lessons specific to this powerful new technology.

keywords: ChatGPT, Communication, Ethical, Research, Technology