18 months. 12,000 questions. A whole lot of anxiety. What I learned from reading students’ ChatGPT logs
Students increasingly use AI chatbots for anything from academic queries to emotional quandaries. But are they missing out on the chance to make their own mistakes? Three undergrads reveal all …
S tudent life is hard. Making new friends is hard. Writing essays is hard. Admin is hard. Budgeting is hard. Finding out what trousers exist in the world other than black ones is also, apparently, hard.
Fortunately, for an AI-enabled generation of students, help with the complexities of campus life is just a prompt away. If you are really stuck on an essay or can’t decide between management consulting or a legal career, or need suggestions on what you can cook with tomatoes, mushrooms, beetroot, mozzarella, olive oil and rice, then ChatGPT is there. It will to listen to you, analyse your inputs, and offer up a perfectly structured paper, a convincing cover letter, or a workable recipe for tomato and mushroom risotto with roasted beetroot and mozzarella.
I know this because three undergraduates have given me permission to eavesdrop on every conversation they have had with ChatGPT over the past 18 months. Every eye-opening prompt, every revealing answer.
