Abstract
The emergence of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT and other generative AI tools is redefining the educational landscape. This chapter discusses how ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are used for teaching and learning globally, with a focus on the difference between developing and developed countries. Varied responses between educators and institutions in Africa compared to the developed world and highlights of the skill gaps to be filled to ensure effective and ethical use of generative AI tools by both learners and educators in the developing world were discussed. The chapter concludes by highlighting the implication of poor handling of the current epoch on the future of education and the overall development of the African continent. The study was significant to practice, society, and policy based on a developing country's perspectives.
TopIntroduction
Technological advancement has trailed human history which has made the innovation of the latter era surpass that of the former, thus leading to technological development that speaks to the dictates of each epoch. The 21st century is not an exception which is witnessing technological advancement in emerging trends such as Artificial Intelligence which according to Bakare (2023) is ushered in by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4thIR). Bozkurt (2023) averred this technology as a phenomenon that is influencing the human domain in the 21st century at an unprecedented rate and at the same time redefining all aspects of human endeavour of which the educational ecosystem hinged on teaching and learning is core.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) among digital technologies seems to disrupt global space in medicine, science, health, aviation, and education in contemporary times. This technology which is sometimes called machine intelligence is not natural as it involves developing computer programs to complete tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence. Chaudhry and Kazim (2022, p. 157) defined AI as “a computer system that can achieve a particular task through certain capabilities (like speech or vision) and intelligent behaviour that was once considered unique to humans”. This is leading to a paradigm shift in which there is expected to be a synergy between technology and humans as the former cannot do without the latter, though there might be changes in practices as well as delivery on the part of humans.
According to Mander (1978) as cited in Quadri (2022) who asserted that technology more often than not disrupts traditional practices, requiring people to adapt and consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of new technologies. This disruption has also been a source of concern to educators who felt their roles would be displaced (Selwyn, 2019). Howbeit, Bakare (2023) have recommended that these technologies should be seen as enablers and not a displacer as the place of human cannot be over-emphasized in the technological ecosystem; but what needs to be adjusted is “the human mindset” to embrace this innovation. This is in tandem with the affirmation of Bozkurt et al., (2023) who argued that any technology is an extension of man's capabilities and AI is an addendum as well as the exhibition of human intelligence.
The advent of AI into the education domain is a watershed, that is changing the education landscape in terms of teaching and learning; instructional technology; archival and library; assessment, and many more. Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be able to improve and change the whole educational system worldwide which higher institutions of learning in the Global North are keying into but the same cannot be said of these institutions in the Global South like Nigeria. The tendency of its application to be adopted by lecturers to complement their efforts in higher education institutions is also high as its advantages cannot be overlooked. In addition, AI seems to have demonstrated the capacity to assist learners in receiving more personalized support and providing a student-centric approach to teaching and learning due to the ubiquity of the technology.
Key Terms in this Chapter
AI Content Detectors: These are AI-driven tools that ensure that digital content shows human intellectual prowess rather than machine input to promote authenticity and originality.
UNESCO: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): This is a computer system that can achieve a particular task through certain capabilities (like speech or vision) and intelligent behaviour that was once considered unique to humans.
Fourth Industrial Revolution (4thIR): This is opined as the 21 st -century era of technological advancement driven by emerging technologies like AI.
ChatGPT: This is a language model that allows individuals to interact with computer technology conversationally or naturally.
GPT: This is a Generative Pre-trained Transformer generally for a family of natural or conversational language models specifically invented by Open Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Global South: These are developing countries that are faced with myriads of challenges in embracing and infusing AI technologies into the educational ecosystem.
Global North: These are developed countries that have embraced the use of ChatGPT and other Generative AI tools in the mainstream of teaching and learning.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (G-AI): These are technologies with a multitude of capabilities such as the ability to leverage deep learning models which enable it to generate human-like content in various formats in response to complex and varied prompts.