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Editor's note: This is part of a series looking at the rise of artificial intelligence technology tools such as ChatGPT, the opportunities and risks they pose and what impacts they could have on various aspects of our daily lives.
OGDEN — Weber State University associate professor Alex Lawrence has taught students about artificial intelligence and business for years, but he's never seen anything quite like the recent rise of AI systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is part of a new generation of AI systems backed by a $13 billion investment from Microsoft. It can converse, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what it's learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media, according to the Associated Press.
"This is the first time, though, that I think it really has become accessible and available to, you know, students and business owners and business people in general in a way that's really easy to use and extremely powerful," said Lawrence, who teaches in Weber State's professional sales department.
To Lawrence, the uses of AI in education are abundant.
From getting past writer's block, putting outlines together and having nearly any trove of information available at your fingertips, it poses "remarkable" possibilities as far as time-saving and efficiency capabilities.
Lawrence even had a conversation with ChatGPT as if it were Winston Churchill, prime minister of United Kingdom during World War II.
"We just went back and forth and it was really kind of creepy and cool," Lawrence said.
Of course, the flip side of ChatGPT's capabilities is that it can also be used by students to do their work for them.
"You don't really have to think about it or spend any time on it and you're just really kind of copy and pasting and turning in work that, you know, is good work and checks all the boxes for a good grade," Lawrence said. "Anytime you can do something like that, there's an opportunity to shortcut learning."
While Lawrence recognizes the potential for more troubling uses of ChatGPT — he called it "the greatest cheating tool I've ever seen" after his first time using the technology — he also realizes that the world is moving toward one where AI is heavily involved in aspects of everyday life, and eventually the workforce.
This is big for Lawrence, a self-described nontraditional academic who places a heavy emphasis on "how the real world's going to work."
"What are we teaching them? Things that are outdated? Are we teaching them to do long-form division when the calculator is here?" Lawrence asked. "That's where some of the nuances get into, you know, how do you embrace it, how do you regulate it? ... How do you still get your students ready for the real world without handicapping them in terms of not being able to think critically and do research and all that stuff?"
I think a lot of things that are really big like this are scary and exciting and it's OK to say that. This is here. It's not going away. It's not a fad.
–Alex Lawrence, Weber State University associate professor
Lawrence wants his students to lean into and embrace AI systems because they're the first generation being exposed to what he thinks will be an important tool in disciplines like business.
He equated the rise of AI as being similar to the rise of the internet.
"I'm trying to help them understand they've got, really, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and advantage and every group behind them is going to be further and further away from that opportunity," Lawrence said. "Don't squander it. Become an expert. Really embrace it, really learn how to use it and leverage it and maximize it."
To bring AI into the classroom setting, Lawrence had his students create a slide presentation showing which AI tools they used, what prompts and other information they submitted to get their results and then narrate bullet points to show the knowledge they've gained.
In the world of business, Lawrence envisions his students using AI to write emails, generate presentations, come up with marketing plans or proposal outlines and to save time while on deadlines or when they lack inspiration.
While Lawrence is embracing AI and ChatGPT as educational and career tools, he understands the apprehension and concerns from those weary about how AI could influence education further down the road.
"I think a lot of things that are really big like this are scary and exciting and it's OK to say that," Lawrence said. "This is here. It's not going away. It's not a fad."
