AI Tips

Why we are including this example

 

 

This page goes over some of my perspectives and tips surrounding AI. I’ve intentionally simplified my perspective on AI to help you better understand its essence and contextualize the hype surrounding it. If you're ever interested in a deeper and more nuanced discussion, feel free to reach out or visit me during office hours.  

Some AI Background

Integrating AI Tools into Our Class

The increasing popularity and advancement of Large Language Models (LLMs) cannot be overlooked. While the integration of these AI-powered tools into our curriculum is still under consideration, I believe they can be effectively utilized for our applied problems assignments.

Understanding AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a focal point of discussion in various domains. The past year has sparked intense debates about its implications for humanity, its potential impact on employment, and the unfounded fear of it dominating the world (e.g., this New York Post article Links to an external site.; this BBC article Links to an external site.). Interestingly, AI is not an independent entity--it’s a product of human ingenuity, created through intricate coding and mathematical processes, and its design is inspired by human cognition. Also, it’s an integral part of the field of Psychology. 

Generative AI software, such as those developed by OpenAI (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, etc.), are products of similar processes. What sets them apart is the unique output they generate. These software use algorithms to access, catalog, and organize the vast array of information available on the Internet at an astonishing speed. They then use this information to produce new content. The speed at which these software operate can be disconcerting, as it may seem they can think faster than humans.

What AI are out there? I’m totally new to this...

That’s totally fine! Part of why I’m bringing this up is because I want students to all be able to access these tools if they so choose. I personally use a ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. (ChatGPT requires an account, but has a free version), Don’t use the Snapchat AI, it’s awful.

AI: A Tool for Students

The challenge lies in equipping you, as students, with sufficient knowledge about AI to use it wisely. Because AI was formed through cognitive psychology ideas, I encourage you to experiment with it. You are not required to use AI, but I recommend trying it. You can choose any tool (Perplexity.ai, Google Bard, ChatGPT) to assist you with the Applied Problems. It’s essentially a large app that internet users have access to. The output is mainly derived from the internet, akin to crowdsourcing information. I recommend reading more about AI to better understand how to employ the software. You may need an account and you may need to pay for the software. 

UVU provides you access to Microsoft Copilot Links to an external site. for free. Make sure to sign in with your UVU email address and password. This tool can work in both text and images.

Developing Skills for AI Usage

Simultaneously to learning the course material, I want you to develop critical thinking and creative skills. These skills will be crucial in using AI responsibly, ethically, and professionally. You need to know how to ask a good prompt and follow up. You need to determine if the output is accurate, truthful, and useful. These “soft” skills involve nuances of thinking through the value of the output. Many companies will be looking for graduates with this skillset, and you could be one of them!

Before You Use AI for Coursework

  • AI has "Hallucinations": AI hallucinations refer to instances where AI perceives patterns or objects that don't exist or are imperceptible to humans. This often results from limitations or biases in the AI's training data and algorithms. For instance, an AI might generate false information; it can produce realistic sounding references or citations for articles that have never existed.
  • AI Doesn’t Know Everything: When using AI, ensure you provide the definitions, main points, and ideas you want included in the output. Our vocabulary in psychology is context and field-specific. Relying solely on the content our AI models have been trained on may lead to incorrect usage of terms. For instance, consider the concept of “similarity” in our perception module. In this context, “similarity” refers to our early perceptual system’s tendency to group items together if they share similar base features (color, shape, size, orientation, etc.). However, “similarity” can have broader meanings in general usage. So, specify the definition of terms like “similarity” when using AI.

Tips for Using AI in this Course

  • Try the Applied Problems First: In this class, our goal is to facilitate learning. One proven method to strengthen learning and memory is to attempt to retrieve information and apply our knowledge, even if we make mistakes! So, try to complete the written assignments on your own first. This will not only enhance your learning but also provide a solid foundation for understanding the course content and effectively using AI for your writing. Remember, in our applied problems, you need to provide specific examples of your work, which the AI won’t have access to unless you write it first.
  • Use AI for Editing and Brainstorming: After writing your papers, you can use your preferred text-generating AI for feedback or clarity edits. This can be a quick and effective way to get feedback. Sometimes, the suggestions are helpful; other times, they affirm that your original writing is already good. Most importantly, it encourages you to edit and review your own drafts!
  • Always Re-read: AI isn’t perfect and can make mistakes, sometimes even silly ones like spelling errors. Therefore, it’s crucial to re-read and verify the AI-generated content to ensure it’s accurate and sounds good.
  • Appreciate Your Humanity: Using AI in your work can unexpectedly make you appreciate your unique writing style. For example, I've used ChatGPT to write information related to my main job. Sometimes the result is disappointing especially if I've asked it multiple times to revise the same material. It made the writing dull or over the top sentence structure.  Ironically, using AI-assisted writing tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly has made me appreciate my writing style more! I’ve seen students change their vocabulary based on Grammarly’s suggestions and end up with worse papers. Trust your instincts when it comes to your writing!

Anyway, I hope this is helpful or interesting! If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to reach out. I’m excited to continue exploring this with students! If you’re curious what guidance your professors are being given about AI check out this page Links to an external site..

 

(Professor Hill used Microsoft Copilot to integrate the perspectives of her colleagues, Professors Overono and Sellers into this single AI Tips page.)