On Wednesday 31 January, Marc Alier, computer engineer and coordinator of the PhD programme Education in Engineering, Science and Technology at UPC, led a session on ChatGPT and teaching for lecturers and researchers, organised by the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences. The lecture drew more than thirty lecturers and researchers interested in the integration of such technology into the realm of education.

During the session, Alier explained how the emergence of ChatGPT has revolutionised the sector. “We find ourselves in a period of great historical change. It is an impressive phenomenon: in just five days, it already had over five million users.”

The computer engineer explained the process by which these new technologies were developed and operate. “All the data used to train artificial intelligence clearly influence its responses. So much so that it even adopts human behaviour, to the extent that ChatGPT's answers become more sluggish over Christmas.”

These issues raised doubts among attendees over the effectiveness and use of models such as ChatGPT. The speaker pointed out that “the most important thing with artificial intelligence tools is the context; without the right context, they will never give you a correct or useful answer.”

Alier concluded that artificial intelligence “is a discovery that must be observed before real conclusions are made.” To illustrate this more clearly, he drew a parallel with fire: “Humans discovered fire and turned it into a tool.”

The session ended with a conversation between the teachers and the lecturer, in which they addressed topics such as ethics and the lawfulness of such tools. The arrival of artificial intelligence is one of the cornerstones of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, which regularly organises sessions and workshops on new technologies.