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What Is Generative AI?

AI is transforming higher education, offering new benefits and new challenges. Recently, AI text generators have taken center stage in academic and technology discussions.

What are AI Text Generators, OpenAI, and ChatGPT?

AI text generators are computer systems or models that use artificial intelligence techniques, particularly natural language processing (NLP), to generate human-like text. These systems are designed to understand and generate text that is coherent, contextually relevant, and mimics the style and tone of human language.

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research organization and technology company. It was founded in December 2015 to develop and promote friendly AI for the benefit of humanity. OpenAI conducts research in various areas of artificial intelligence, including natural language processing, computer vision, reinforcement learning, and robotics.

ChatGPT is one of OpenAI’s most well-known tools. It’s a type of language model called GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) that uses deep learning to write, answer questions, and hold conversations.

According to ChatGPT, the current limitations of AI text generators include:

ChatGPT, like any AI system, has certain limitations. OpenAI acknowledges these limitations and is actively working to improve the capabilities of its models while addressing these issues. User feedback and ongoing research play vital roles in refining and enhancing the performance of ChatGPT and similar AI systems. Some of the critical limitations of ChatGPT are as follows:

Lack of true understanding:

While ChatGPT can generate coherent and contextually relevant responses, it lacks true understanding and common sense reasoning. It generates responses based on patterns and associations learned from training data without a deep understanding of the underlying concepts.

Sensitivity to input phrasing:

ChatGPT can be sensitive to slight changes in the phrasing or wording of a prompt. Even small modifications can lead to different responses, which can sometimes be inconsistent or unexpected.

Generating plausible but incorrect answers:

ChatGPT aims to generate contextually appropriate responses, but it can occasionally produce incorrect information. It cannot fact-check or verify the accuracy of the information it generates.

Vulnerability to bias:

ChatGPT learns from large datasets, which may contain biases present in the data. As a result, it can exhibit biased behavior or generate biased responses. Efforts have been made to mitigate this issue, but biases can still arise in certain cases.

Inability to ask clarifying questions:

ChatGPT operates in a one-turn conversation style and cannot ask follow-up questions or seek clarifications. It solely relies on the provided prompt or input, which can limit its ability to gather additional information when needed.

Generating nonsensical or off-topic responses:

In certain situations, ChatGPT may produce responses that are nonsensical, off-topic, or unrelated to the input. This can happen if the model encounters ambiguous or unclear prompts, leading to unexpected outputs.

AI text generators can jump in to help with essays, research papers, or creative writing. They’re great at putting thoughts into clear, organized words — especially when you’re stuck or not sure how to start.

AI-Generated Text vs. AI-Assisted Tools

Not all AI tools are created equal—and in higher education, that difference matters.

AI-generated text tools can write full sentences, paragraphs, or even entire assignments for you. Since the work comes from the AI and not you, using it for graded assignments violates the academic integrity policy.

AI-assisted tools, on the other hand, are like a helpful guide. They won’t do your work for you, but they can give you a starting point—sparking ideas, guiding your research, or helping you organize your thoughts. You’re still doing the thinking and writing, which is why these tools are generally okay to use when you follow your instructor’s guidelines.

Quick Comparison

If the AI is doing the writing for you, it’s not your work.

Examples of AI-Assisted Programs

Consensus – Finds research that directly answers your question.
Elicit – Finds and summarizes academic research.
Gamma – Helps design polished, engaging presentations from your ideas.
Mendeley – Helps organize your research and citations (no text generation).
NotebookLM – Google’s AI notebook for summarizing, organizing, and connecting your notes.
Otter.ai – Transcribes lectures, meetings, or interviews so you can review them later.
Perplexity AI – Summarizes credible sources and links directly to them.
Quillbot Summarizer – Condenses long text into key points without rewriting it.
Reciteworks – Creates instant citations and bibliographies from sources.
Scholarcy – Breaks down research papers into quick, easy summaries.
Suno – AI-powered tool for creating original music and audio.

AI-assisted tools can be a powerful way to help students think more critically and work more independently. By introducing and modeling these tools in class, you equip students with practical skills for using AI responsibly — skills they can apply in their careers.

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