News and Insights
Is ChatGPT a Friend or Foe of Digital Inclusion?
20/05/2023
ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, is able to answer an increasing range of questions and tasks, including writing emails, create stories, compose essays and cover letters, etc. Some have said that it’s like “Google search, but on steroids.”[1] However, unlike this search engine, ChatGPT is able to deliver answers in a concise and more conversational manner. As with other substantial technological developments, many now wonder how ChatGPT will impact society and workplaces. Will it, for example, deepen the digital divide or may this AI-powered system aid in making society more digitally inclusive?
Some have noted that ChatGPT, and similar AI-systems, may remove barriers to accessibility in a number of ways [2]:
- By providing facial or image recognition for those people living with visual impairment.
- By summarising texts for people with a cognitive impairment.
- Through real-time captioning, and translations, and lip-reading recognition for those with a hearing impairment.
It has also been suggested that ChatGPT might reduce distances between disperse communities and reduce bias.[3] A study by Argyle et al. (2023) found that AI chat assistants could improve the quality of the conversation, reduce political divisiveness, and improve the tone without changing the content of the conversation.[4] It may also reduce intercultural misunderstandings by providing a more accurate picture of the world and offer the opportunity to learn about other cultures in more interactive and engaging ways.[5]
However, the power of ChatGPT also raises issues about the digital divide, including within the educational arena. With such applications becoming more common in schools and universities, some are concerned about the implications for digital equity, in the sense that students lacking in internet access and digital skills/literacy may miss out on this opportunity. Auston O’Brien, a computer science professor at Dakota State University remarks, “The ability for other students to get a leg up by using ChatGPT for schoolwork further adds to the digital divide between those with easy access to the Internet and those without”.[6] One student may spend weeks on an essay, whereas another student may use ChatGPT to compile the same essay in hours or even minutes.[7] It is also the case that certain AI-applications are available for a fee, which may exclude those students and families that are on tight budgets. And, if the cost of AI tools increases, this may further widen the digital divide.
ChatGPT has the potential of transforming how we engage with information and information generation, and we need to make sure that this technological development does not widen the digital divide and become a further barrier to digital equity.
References
[1]
https://www.makeuseof.com/things-you-can-do-with-chatgpt/
[2] https://ialabs.ie/how-is-ai-tech-like-chatgpt-improving-digital-accessibility/
[3] https://ts2.space/en/bridging-the-gap-chat-gpt-4s-role-in-accessibility-and-inclusivity/
[4] Argyle et al. (2023). AI Chat Assistants can Improve Conversations about Divisive Topics. Cornell University. https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.07268
[5] https://ts2.space/en/bridging-the-gap-chat-gpt-4s-role-in-accessibility-and-inclusivity/
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