AI bot ChatGPT writes smart essays — should academics worry?

Sandra Wachter, BKC Faculty Associate, discusses ChatGPT and its concerns for academics and education. 

“The situation both worries and excites Sandra Wachter, who studies technology and regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute, UK. “I’m really impressed by the capability,” she says. But she’s concerned about the potential effect on human knowledge and ability. If students start to use ChatGPT, they will be outsourcing not only their writing, but also their thinking.

She’s hopeful that education providers will adapt. “Whenever there’s a new technology, there’s a panic around it,” she says. “It’s the responsibility of academics to have a healthy amount of distrust — but I don’t feel like this is an insurmountable challenge.”

Read more in Nature.