FROM WOW TO HOW
One of the key aspects of AI literacy is understanding the limitations of these tools. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of text data, which allows them to generate human-like responses.
However, it is essential to keep in mind that these tools may not always be accurate, neutral or appropriate. The model learns from the biases present in its training data, and these biases can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.
The Dunning-Kruger effect – a cognitive bias where people believe they are smarter than they are – has been used to describe the five stages of a ChatGPT user.
In stage one, the user feels: Wow! Amazing! ChatGPT is awesome and can answer my questions. It quickly generates detailed and consistent answers, and it behaves like a superhuman.
In stage two, the user starts to doubt and realises that ChatGPT is a language model and is ultimately a statistical tool for predictably collating reasonable answers without really understanding language.
In stage three, the user realises that ChatGPT occasionally makes mistakes, or provides information that is not accurate.
The user develops more understanding in stage four that ChatGPT is useful for when there is no need for accurate answers. But when the answer has to be reliable and useful, ChatGPT can’t be trusted.
In stage five, the “A-Ha!” moment arrives. The user realises that the true value of ChatGPT lies in its ability to improve productivity, and that it is important to recognise when ChatGPT gets things wrong.
Students and teachers can readily move up these stages if they have some basic form of AI literacy.
In the National Institute of Education (NIE), we have started offering courses on AI literacy to teachers. The courses are intended to help teachers develop a working awareness of AI, understand the potential and limitations of its uses in education and, in particular, consider the ethical aspects of AI application in education.
Teachers link the capabilities of AI with their pedagogical knowledge and experiences to apply it to design an action plan for their schools, which may include fostering AI literacy to teachers and students, and selecting AI systems for education that are beneficial for students.