Thread by @EnglishOER

ChatGPT Just Got Better. What Does That Mean for Our Writing Assignments?
I was among those who tested the new version over the past six months. A few observations on what to expect and how the update should affect our response. chronicle.com/article/chatgp… 1/

Initially, as I compared GPT-4’s relatively sophisticated responses to the flatter outputs I had grown accustomed to from GPT-3, I felt amazement and dread. (The cloak-and-dagger associations of working under an NDA for the first time probably added to the frisson.) 2/

The prose that GPT-4 produced was more precise and articulate, a bit less boring, and a bit more substantive in the way it showed the connections between ideas. 3/

Despite the increased sophistication of GPT-4, however, my amazement and dread waned after a week or so. It had not gained understanding. This model was better, but it was also the same. 4/

Its outputs were still often simplistic and formulaic, and I found myself frequently describing them as “underdeveloped” or “lacking specifics.” Like the older versions, this one sometimes made up facts and sources, and its outputs contained mistakes in reasoning and analysis. 5/

As I tested GPT-4, I have become increasingly convinced of a few basic points.
1. We Can’t Out-Prompt It
It’s a dead end to focus on designing prompts that AI won’t be good at. 6/

GPT-4 can do some of the things it couldn't do so well previously, and it is certainly not the end of the road for large language models. It seems futile for faculty members to spend their energies figuring out what a current version can’t do. 7/

We can't count on detecting AI prose. There is little prospect of a detector that could give us an answer, rather than a probability, as to the origin of an essay. 8/

For now, AI prose mostly conforms to conventions of Standard English, which can sometimes be a giveaway, but future models will likely be able to imitate student style and patterns of error. 9/

I may be pessimistic about out-prompting ChatGPT or detecting AI text, but I am not at all worried that the act of writing has become less valuable to students. 10/

The release of GPT-4 underscores the value of accepted best practices for encouraging intrinsic motivation in college writing assignments. 11/

Yes, teaching methods like conferencing, building relationships, and assigning the writing process are more labor and time-intensive than simply assigning a paper and grading the final product, with no input along the way. 12/

Teachers without training in writing pedagogy may need additional faculty development. And institutions should look to provide structural support for these approaches, like teaching assistants and reduced class size. 13/

My article explores further how we must begin to explore the nature and risks of AI with students and enter the societal conversation about guardrails. I'll leave that for another thread. Thanks for reading--I hope you'll share responses! chronicle.com/article/chatgp… /End

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