What happened when ChatGPT knocked at my door.

My mind was already open to new stuff, as I was preparing already to visit ArtBasel in Miami end of 2022. I was looking for novelty, new things I can zhuzh-up my classroom with come new year. Instagram/TikTok was full of these gurus talking about “websites that would change your life”, and on and off one of those websites really promised something; until ChatGPT appeared on my reel. It took some experimenting a few times and I was pleasantly surprised as how this chat framing made search, and especially creation, more accessible. What usually took a weeks time could be done in less than half an hour, and had the potential to change the lives of scholars and university professors forever.

Fast forward to Q2 of 2023 and I am still introducing ChatGPT to people for the first time, quite peculiar for the app to break a million users in record time. People are amazed by the potential of this technology and quite scared for what is to come. First, colleagues of mine (Except for you Eddy) tried to fend it off, because students could use ChatGPT to circumvent essay assignments. Then Practitioners around me dealt with how this made their work more efficient and allowed for high quality output. The more and more I spoke to people about it, the quicker I learned how large the tech gap was in my surrounding. This is why I took it upon myself to do more experimenting together with my colleague Edirel Susanna (whom I have to credit for often pointing me in new directions).

Computer Science, Engineering etc are most definitely not part of my training, but have appeared consistently in my area of study which is Innovation Management and the role diffusion of technology has in economic development. I’m from the Evolutionary Economics school, you see, and I base many of my teachings on heterodoxy of economics. Economics is more than just numbers, finance, money, and national accounts. Its the makeup of how society progresses, and much of that is owed to the entrepreneur. In this evolutionary process, people create “things” that replace others and opening up a world of opportunities for all agents involved.

This is precisely what ChatGPT did for my line of work, and practitioners around me. I’ve been on a crusade for months now trying to share this development, to facilitate adoption and transformation. Granted, I don’t know that much of the nitty gritty, but I was a freshman when Wikipedia was rising, and saw many of those majoring in marketing doing a sprint to catch up with Social Media by the time I became a senior. ChatGPT feels the same, only now it is much, much (no, really, MUCH), faster. (You can catch my advocacy effort on Wapu Podcast recently)

To keep things short I just want to share some examples how ChatGPT can help make scholar/teaching work easy:

1. Instant access to information: ChatGPT can be used to provide instant access to information, allowing scholars and professors to quickly find answers to their questions without having to spend hours researching, improving productivity.
2. Personalized learning experiences: ChatGPT can be programmed to provide personalized learning experiences for students, tailoring content and feedback to their individual needs and preferences. This can help improve student engagement and learning outcomes.
3. Improved student support: ChatGPT can be used to provide students with quick and accurate responses to their inquiries, reducing the workload on professors and support staff. This can also help improve student satisfaction and retention.
4. Enhanced research capabilities: ChatGPT can be used to assist with research by providing access to relevant literature, analyzing data, and even generating hypotheses. This can help researchers work more efficiently and effectively.
5. New teaching opportunities: ChatGPT can be used to create new teaching opportunities, such as virtual teaching assistants or chatbots that can provide support to students outside of class hours. This encourages the quality and accessibility of education.
6. Collaborative research: ChatGPT can be used to facilitate collaboration between scholars and professors, providing a platform for sharing ideas, data, and insights. This helps researchers work more efficiently and produce more impactful results.

Overall, ChatGPT has already transformed the way scholars and university professors work, teach, and research. Leveraging the power of conversational AI, helped improve productivity, enhance learning outcomes, provide better support to students, and facilitate collaboration across the academic community.

As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more exciting opportunities for innovation and growth in the field of education. This message is to alert you: Something BIG is happening, don’t let it pass by.