Much has been made of the role of artificial intelligence in our society and in our classrooms.
And, with more and more students coming to Oxford Saïd keen to learn about AI and what it can do for them, the study of AI and machine-learning has become a core aspect of the BA in Economics and Management, MBA, Degrees, Executive Diplomas and Executive Education programmes available to students here. With that in mind, we spoke to Associate Professor in Operations Management Steve New, about the opportunities and jeopardies AI can pose in a learning environment. Here's what he had to say, with a little help from Christopher McKenna, Reader in Business History and Strategy and Alex Connock, Senior Fellow in Management Practice:
'It is true that students now, no matter their age, have access to tools that would have felt inconceivable to many mere years ago. Yet, ChatGPT has brought this discussion into the mainstream, and presents us with an opportunity to hopefully debunk some myths, whilst making the case for what we can achieve through machine learning, rather than what it could damage.
'AI has been commonplace in our society in many ways, for a considerable period. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether it be the predictive text on your mobile phone, the Alexa device that wakes you up in the morning, or the robotic hoover picking up crumbs from the floor. These small advances in technology show that we can keep up with the pace of change, and that we the user, have the power to override or control the software should we wish to.
'In the profession of teaching, concerns have been raised about the desire of students to actively engage in a learning process that could be perceived as outdated. Naturally, most of the sector is struggling to get to grips with the impact of the technology on summative assessment, where the risk is that students could cheat. Yet, in my role, I have been more pre-occupied with the impact on our distinctive tutorial system - where students write essays that don't count towards any formal mark - and the risk that students lose the capacity to think for themselves.