The Solipsism of generative AI

The Solipsism of generative AI

In some of my graduate classes, we have been reading about virtual and digital learning and tools to use in instructional practice. 

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chat bot from the company OpenAI came into the spotlight in 2022. ChatGPT is one of a few generative text aggregators available to the public (Dehouche, 2021; Rutter & Mintz, 2023). 

Generative text renderers such as ChatGPT, can generate collections of information, and some schools are banning the tool from its devices and networks altogether (Korn & Kelly, 2023).

Some of the ways that generative text can theoretically be used include the following (Dehouche, 2021. Korn & Kelly, 2023; Rutter & Mintz, 2023; Washburn, 2023)… but is this ethical? 

• Biographical references 
• Bibliography citations
• Lesson plan creation
• Student assessment 
• Define terms and explain challenging concepts  

• Solve math equations 
• Course syllabi 
• Explore debate topics through theoretical lenses 
• Render written text in various styles including descriptive and argumentative 
• Writing samples in job application packets
• Research reports
• Speeches
• Medical reports

Although the ChatGPT marketing indicates that it generates “original” writing, it does not do this because it is solipsistic, or existing only within itself and therefore not reflecting peer-reviewed sources (Teague, 2023).  Instead, artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT, assembles and renders content based on sources indexed online, based on the prompts it is provided. This process is similar to compiling a Playlist, mixed , or mixed tape. The sources used in compilation may or may not be copyright-free and they may not be peer-reviewed.

                                                                        References

Dehouche, N. (2021). Plagiarism in the age of massive generative pre-trained transformers (GPT-3). Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, (2), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.3354/esep00195  

Korn, J. & Kelly, S. (2023). New York City public schools ban access to AI tool that could help students cheat. CNN Business. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/tech/chatgpt-nyc-school-ban/index.html

Quora (2023). Etymology of the word solipsism. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-solipsism

Rutter, M.P. & Mintz, S. (2023). ChatGPT: Threat or menace? Higher Ed Gamma.

Washburn, B. (2023) How Teachers can use ChatGPT to assess students and provide feedback. Brittany Washburn.com blog. https://brittanywashburn.com/2023/03/how-teachers-can-use-chatgpt-to-assess-students-and-provide-feedback/#:~:text=ChatGPT%20is%20an%20AI%2Dbased,provide%20feedback%20efficiently%20and%20accurately.

To cite this post: Teague, H. (2023). The Solipsism of generative AI. 10RepLearning blog. https://4oops.edublogs.org/2023/06/27/the-solipsism-of-generative-ai/