The experimental chatbot ChatGPT is having a moment.
Developed with artificial-intelligence techniques by the Silicon Valley research institute OpenAI and trained on a massive database of written text, the chatbot was released to the public as a free research preview last month — and quickly took the internet by storm. Users can ask it to answer questions, generate lesson plans, even write poetry and comedy sketches. No matter what prompt you throw at it, ChatGPT has an uncanny ability to generate fluid answers in simple, sturdy sentences that appear informed and knowledgeable.
Naturally, these capabilities have led some to speculate about how the technology could upend science education.
“Um… I just had like a 20 minute conversation with ChatGPT about the history of modern physics,” tweeted Peter Wang, a tech founder and self-described former physicist. “If I had this […] as a tutor during high school and college.... OMG. I think we can basically re-invent the concept of education at scale. College as we know it will cease to exist.”
