“Tech is not supposed to be human. It is only ever supposed to be humanoid.” - Tressie McMillan Cottom, “Human this Christmas” (NYT, Dec. 20, 2022)

ChatGPT is a language processing program run by OpenAI, a research and deployment company that uses AI (artificial intelligence) to generate written responses to prompts. While the usefulness, accuracy, and value of the original free version have been hotly debated in recent months, OpenAI is now marketing a “Plus” version with the promise of being able to “chat with you, answer follow-up questions, and challenge incorrect assumptions.” Should we trust ChatGPT? Will critical thinking and writing skills be strengthened or atrophy with its promotion or use? Join as we discuss this new “Generative AI” tool, what it can and can’t do, and emerging controversies around our use of the tool and its use of us as data. 

QuickBites is an initiative sponsored by H&A in Action at San José State University (a California State University campus) to bring you informal conversations about the most urgent news of the moment. For our conversation about ChatGPT, we are also sponsored by SJSU’s Writing Across the Curriculum, Office of the Provost, Center for Faculty Development, and eCampus. 

Broadcast on SJSU’s main web page, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook as well as the Hammer Theatre Center’s Vimeo page. Join us for real time chat and submit your questions in advance using our Google Form or during the broadcast from the live chat wherever you’re watching. 

At 5pm on February 20, tune into SJSU.edu

Speaker Bios: 

Sara West is an Assistant Professor in Professional and Technical Writing at SJSU. Her research and teaching interests include content writing, writing for nonprofits, and professional editing.

Roxana Marachi is a Professor of Education at SJSU where she teaches courses in the Department of Teacher Education and the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. Dr. Marachi’s current research interests include critical analyses of policies and practices that intersect the implementation of surveillance technologies, the datafication of teaching and learning, and the privatization of education, research, and social services. 

For more information about ChatGPT in higher education, see the Resources curated by our experts. 

Note: This QuickBites will be recorded and available on H&A in Action: QuickBites.