Artificial intelligence (AI) is the use of technology to complete tasks once performed exclusively by humans. It simulates human intelligence by learning, usually via a data set or other knowledgebase. AI takes many forms, and with its ease of access and use expanding rapidly in 2023, our students have unprecedented access to tools which can produce human-sounding written works, generate images, produce videos, build presentations, write code, streamline productivity, and much more.
ChatGPT is the most mainstream AI chatbot and text generator at present, and is able to respond to a prompt/input with written output which sounds convincingly human-produced. Soon after ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022, similar AI chatbots including Google Bard and Microsoft Bing AI were released, offering similar functionality with some enhanced capabilities, such as search engine integration.
The impact of artificial intelligence in higher education is ongoing, most notably implicating academic integrity and prompting faculty to evaluate course activities and assessments. In response to these concerns, AI detection tools such as Turnitin’s AI detection report, GPTZero, and ZeroGPT offer functionality to detect AI-produced work, though the accuracy of these tools needs further development and at present cannot declare any findings with certainty.
Navigate the sections below to learn more about types of artificial intelligence and explore a few tools related to each. While this page focuses strictly on AI tools as an instructional technology,, you may consider seeking ways to incorporate AI into your course or applying instructional design strategies to mitigate improper use of AI.