The rapid pace at which AI is evolving and impacting us is undeniable. As we approach September, the landscape of ChatGPT has already undergone significant transformations since I last wrote about it.
You might recall my newsletter from this past May, when I was a guest French teacher at Rosseau Lake College I discussed how ChatGPT was gaining traction among students, and conversations among the staff about its appropriate use in school were just beginning. We weren’t even discussing the implications for second language learners yet, just general use. At that point, I had been using ChatGPT a bit more than what seemed acceptable to admit. It was my secret assistant for social media posts, report card comments and improving any writing in general with my favourite prompt, “Make it better:”. Another experiment I was trying with it was helping me to prepare press releases for my music singles. Before this, I had hired a PR company so I had learnt what an industry-standard press release looked like and I was shocked when ChatGPT produced one that was in the ballpark.
As school ended and summer started, I continued to use it for instances when it would enhance my output while reducing my time spent. Everything was smooth sailing until earlier this month when something changed and it wasn’t quite right anymore. My favourite prompt of “Make it Better:” was no longer making it better! In fact, it was making it worse (grr!)
A quick Google search provided clarity that it was in fact ChatGPT and not me going crazy. Two recent studies spotlight a notable decline in ChatGPT’s accuracy over time.
So as September approaches, I’m curious to see how this will continue to unfold and especially how we can educate our students on the proper usage of these tools while empowering them with the skills to think critically around them.
