Artificial intelligence (AI) instead of the brain: ChatGPT is increasingly being used secretly in science and education. The Center for European Politics (cep) has investigated this development between unintentional plagiarism and disrupted learning and peer review processes and, based on this study, is calling for a paradigm shift. In the future, a competence-oriented approach and the reflective use of AI will be important.
“Empirical data on writing style show that large language models are changing our information practices more than the Covid pandemic,” says cep digitization expert Anselm Küsters, who authored the study. AI-generated content is already influencing numerous scientific processes, for example by making the usual peer review procedures more difficult or systematically manipulating journals. In addition, there is a growing gap within scientific disciplines that is based on a lack of AI knowledge and is hindering scientific progress. In addition, there are structural concerns about the role of AI providers in education, such as asymmetric access to cutting-edge AI services and significant development and implementation problems with non-English language models.
“It is not enough to provide every student with a ChatGPT account to improve learning,” stresses Küsters. Initial experience has shown that careful adaptation of AI tools is essential for effective integration into education in order to achieve a lasting effect. To enable responsible use of the new technology, AI courses should be compulsory at all levels of education and cover not only technical basics but also ethics, practical application examples and general problem-solving skills. In addition, there is a need for targeted support for language models based on underrepresented languages, as well as concrete internal guidelines to monitor the ethical use of AI in education and ensure transparency. “Then, in addition to the already common data analysis and writing support, generative AI can also promote creativity and make knowledge more accessible. This is essential for Europe’s future competitiveness,” says Küsters.
