Teach-Out explores the potential for AI that can intelligently carry on a conversation and how it could transform education, the job market, and its ethical and legal implications

Sean Corp, Content Strategist 

Large language models driven by artificial intelligence have attracted a lot of attention thanks to the popular and prolific ChatGPT, the chatbot allowing the world to seemingly hold an intelligent conversation on a limitless number of topics.  

The “ChatGPT Teach-Out” from the Center for Academic Innovation explores the technology powering ChatGPT and brings together experts to discuss how chatbots and large language models could increasingly become a part of our everyday lives. They also discuss the ethical and legal considerations, and potential impact the proliferation of large language model artificial intelligence tools might have on the job market. 

The implications for large language models being a part of people’s everyday lives are massive. Companies like OpenAI, who developed ChatGPT, highlight its potential as a superpowered virtual assistant to help you manage your daily schedule and carry out simple tasks. If you ask ChatGPT what it can do in the future, it will tout its potential to transform industries like customer service and healthcare. 

Not everyone is as enthused by the possibilities. Creative artists are worried about being displaced by algorithms, and people in many industries fear for the future of their jobs. Kentaro Toyama, a professor in the School of Information who researches communication technology, is featured in the Teach-Out and discusses the potential for job disruption. 

“I think for the first time in human history, white-collar workers will begin to fear machines as competitors for their jobs,” Toyama said. 

Another issue explored in the Teach-Out is the implications of its use in education. Many articles outline the potential for plagiarism using chatbots like ChatGPT. There have even been AI-powered tools created to spot writing from other AI-powered tools to prevent plagiarism. 

Of course, when talking about ChatGPT and large language models, it is nearly impossible to resist the urge to ask the program to do your work for you. In that vein, here is how ChatGPT itself describes the upcoming Teach-Out about ChatGPT: 

“Are you curious about how language models like ChatGPT work and their potential impact on society? Join our upcoming Teach-Out on ChatGPT where we will explore the ins and outs of this cutting-edge technology. Discover the benefits and drawbacks of ChatGPT, including its ability to learn and adapt to human conversation, its potential impact on job automation and education. You’ll also learn about the latest advancements in the field and gain insights into how ChatGPT could be integrated into society going forward. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from experts and connect with other curious minds. Register now for our upcoming ChatGPT Teach-Out!”

Honestly, ChatGPT didn’t do too badly after a bit of prompting and with the addition of context. 

Featured Experts

Teach-Outs are free online events that engage a global community in emerging conversations. For the ChatGPT Teach-Out, the center brought together University of Michigan experts from various disciplines to help learners understand the historical context of the technology, its potential societal impact, and what the ethical use of artificial intelligence might look like. U-M experts featured in the Teach-Out include: 

• Kentaro Toyama, professor in the School of Information, researches communication technology
• Julie Hui, assistant professor in the School of Information, researches the impact of technology on access to work and employment. Hui also worked with the Center for Academic Innovation to create Lettersmith, an AI-powered writing tool that helps build writing skills and helps people more effectively communicate with clients, employers and fellow professionals 
• Michael Wellman, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, researches artificial intelligence and electronic commerce
• Rada Mihalcea, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, studies natural language processing
• Cornelius A. James, MD, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine, pediatrics, and learning health sciences at the Medical School, studies machine learning and artificial intelligence in healthcare
• Jack Bernard, associate general counsel at the University of Michigan, discusses plagiarism, bias and discrimination concerns with large language models like ChatGPT
• Scott Page, professor of complexity, social science and management with the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and College of LSA, discusses potential applications for ChatGPT in business, politics and social sciences

The “ChatGPT Teach-Out” is free to enroll in, and is available now on Michigan Online and Coursera.

Photo courtesy of Focal Foto via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0