By discussing generative artificial intelligence (“ It will be a skill of life ”: educators discuss the impact of AI on university education, September 13), you seem to underestimate the challenges of the Grand Language Model (LLM) such as Chatgpt present in higher education. The argument that AI mastery is a life skill that students need in preparation for the labor market is not convincing. Our experience is that the AI generating teaching and learning, bypassing reflection and criticality and diverts students from reading the original material.
The abusive use of generating AI students is widespread. The affirmations that AI helps in preparation or research are simply covering students who take shortcuts who do not develop their learning skills. The evaluations are largely channeled via the Chatppt, without taking into account the general advice and rules of universities. The generative AI leads to a generic output, dull and often factually incorrect.
For example, we asked students to interpret a short article by Henry Ford from 1922. Many answers suggested that the autocratic and racist Ford developed a “management function of sophisticated HR performance for his business” and that he was a “transformational leader”.
In many diploma programs, LLMs have little or no practical value. Their use sabots and degrades the learning of students and undermines critical analysis and creativity. If we want to better understand the impact of AI on work, education and daily life, we must be more skeptical and less festive.
Prof Leo McCann
Professor Simon Sweeney
University of York
