Generative AI - a primer

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are already having a significant impact on education. These tools are posing considerable challenges around assessment and academic integrity, but also present opportunities, such as saving staff time by helping with the creation of learning materials or presenting students with new tools to enhance the way they work.

The impact of generative AI is being felt far beyond education, and it is already starting to change the way we work. This presents more challenges and opportunities, in making sure education prepares students for an AI-augmented workplace, and that assessments are authentic yet robust.

Key points

• Initial concerns are focused on assessment and academic integrity
• The immediate action is for all staff to engage with generative AI and try it themselves, learning how their assessments will be impacted
• There are many other ways generative AI can be used beyond simply producing work for assessment.
• Generative AI is going to be increasingly used in the workplace
• Generative AI is likely to be pervasive, so banning it isn’t an option