American University Expert Available to Comment on ChatGPT and Impacts of AI on Human Writing

What:

With Open AI’s launch of ChatGPT on November 30, heightened concerns are swirling about the practical problem teachers will face in detecting when an AI text-generation tool has been used for a writing assignment. While this a major concern, with the advancement of ChatGPT, there are many other issues facing both educators and anyone who writes. AU expert Naomi S. Baron is available to discuss AI tools in general and ChatGPT as it pertains to both issues in education and writing at large.

When:

Dec. 21, 2022 – ongoing

Who:

 Naomi S. Baron is professor emerita of linguistics at American University and a national expert on language and technology, reading, and reading on screen and reading in print. She is the author of numerous books, including the two most recent How We Read Now: Strategic Choices for Print, Screen, and Audio (2021 Oxford University Press) and Words on Screen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World (2015 Oxford University Press). Her next book will be about artificial intelligence and the impacts on human writing.

Baron says:

“What’s missing from the conversation about education is how AI tools threaten writing skills and students’ motivations for writing. AI editing tools are already in our word processing programs and on our mobile phones. AI authoring tools are now making their way into students’ hands. As educators, we need to be asking not just whether we can detect who wrote what — but how we can nurture and maintain literacy skills that foster thinking and self-understanding. Overall, artificial intelligence as editor or author is a powerful tool, with potential positive and negative effects on anyone who writes.”