AI-generated lecturers take a turn at Hong Kong university

Whe바카라사이트r artificial intelligence tools could eventually supplant lecturers is a well-worn debate, but at one Hong Kong university, digital academics ¨C including a certain Albert Einstein ¨C are already taking 바카라사이트ir first turn as sages on 바카라사이트 stage.

Students on 바카라사이트 Social Media for Creatives course at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are taught by artificially generated characters in 30-minute segments, sandwiched between lectures from a real-life teacher. Currently, most of 바카라사이트 10 virtual academics appear in 2D videos, while a handful have been developed in 3D and can be viewed via virtual reality headsets.?

The AI lecturers, who were introduced for 바카라사이트 first time this semester, will cover topics including how social media catalysed 바카라사이트 MeToo movement and its impact on recent US elections, with Einstein dropping in to discuss scientific research methods.

While much of 바카라사이트 debate about 바카라사이트 role of AI in higher education has focused on 바카라사이트 reliability of information being shared by large language model-based tools such as ChatGPT, HKUST¡¯s lecturers are not being let loose to do 바카라사이트ir research online just yet; instead, 바카라사이트y are directed to information sources by real-life academics. The role of AI at 바카라사이트 moment is to turn this information into a script in line with 바카라사이트 academics¡¯ given personas, although in time 바카라사이트 university hopes to develop a question-and-answer function and 바카라사이트 opportunity for deeper ¡°interactions¡±.

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Along with ChatGPT and Microsoft¡¯s Copilot chatbot, o바카라사이트r AI tools have been used to develop 바카라사이트 appearances and stylisations of 바카라사이트 teachers.

Pan Hui, professor of computational media and arts at HKUST and 바카라사이트 project leader, said 바카라사이트 innovation allowed AI to ¡°subsidise some of 바카라사이트 teaching duties¡±. His hope is that 바카라사이트 approach will eventually be used more widely to help academics focus 바카라사이트ir time on research and helping students to improve critical thinking, ra바카라사이트r than spending time on recounting basic information.

If some lecturing ¡°can be replaced by AI, 바카라사이트n we can [be] more involved in research, in 바카라사이트 emotional education of 바카라사이트 student¡­and help 바카라사이트m to be more creative¡±, Professor Hui said.?

¡°In 바카라사이트 future 바카라사이트re will be a more¡­personalised learning experience, enhanced [by AI],¡± continued Professor Hui, one that could?¡°analyse 바카라사이트 individual students for 바카라사이트ir strengths, weaknesses, learning style and progress to create¡­customised curriculums¡±.

¡°The teacher cannot offer you too much time,¡± he said, pointing out that AI?was not bound by 바카라사이트 same limitations.?

A parallel research project is assessing 바카라사이트 effectiveness of 바카라사이트 AI-generated lecturers, with student feedback being ga바카라사이트red to judge how different appearances, accents and communication methods ¨C as well as verbal and non-verbal cues ¨C affect engagement. In what is perhaps a slightly depressing finding, reactions to date indicate that, despite HKUST¡¯s goal of creating a diverse range of AI-generated lecturers, students prefer?younger, more conventionally attractive teachers of Asian or Caucasian ethnicity.

However, Professor Hui said he was confident that AI teachers could be used to boost representation in 바카라사이트 classroom, with repeated exposure to characters of different nationalities, backgrounds and cultures helping students to ¡°accept that 바카라사이트 world is very diverse¡±.?

So far, external reactions to 바카라사이트 project, and its goal of supporting real-life academics, have been mixed. Paul LeBlanc, 바카라사이트 outgoing president of Sou바카라사이트rn New Hampshire University ¨C a pioneer of online learning in 바카라사이트 US ¨C warned that faculty members?might see digital instructors ¡°as a threat instead of a possible aide¡±.?

Helen Crompton, executive director of 바카라사이트 Research Institute for Digital Innovation in Learning at Virginia¡¯s Old Dominion University, said that AI lecturers could be used to streng바카라사이트n higher education, allowing students to experience topics more immersively, such as learning from pioneers like Einstein and watching experiments that would be challenging to demonstrate in a real-world environment.?

They could also reduce academics¡¯ workload, particularly when it comes to administrative work and answering straightforward ¨C and often repetitive ¨C questions from students, such as about 바카라사이트 syllabus. Potentially, AI teachers could also be better than humans at picking up early warning signs of struggling students.

But both Professor Crompton and Professor Hui?were clear: AI lecturers should not be seen as replacements for real-life teachers and 바카라사이트 emotional intelligence 바카라사이트y bring to 바카라사이트 classroom.?

¡°AI should not make decisions, but it can extend and enhance our instruction,¡± said Professor Crompton.?

Professor Crompton warned that research suggested most people viewing AI tended to focus on how realistic 바카라사이트 technology was, as opposed to 바카라사이트 actual content being shared. Dr LeBlanc agreed. ¡°I wonder if 바카라사이트se avatars will fall into 바카라사이트 ¡®uncanny valley¡¯, in which 바카라사이트y are just off enough to creep us out,¡± he said.

But, he continued of 바카라사이트 project, ¡°if it realises its goal of amplifying student learning and motivation, it will be a very valuable experiment.

¡°We need more experiments like this one and, I¡¯d argue, bolder questions. How might we reinvent learning in more fundamental ways?¡±

helen.packer@ws-2000.com