AI Meets the Public

Artificial intelligence (AI), generally thought of as using computers to accomplish tasks requiring human intelligence, is not a new concept. However, generative AI, a type of AI system that can generate text, images, or other media in response to prompts, has suddenly become an omnipresent part of the academic scene. In the form of ChatGPT and others, generative AI hit campuses with a bang that could be heard around academia in late 2022. The chart seen here shows the record-breaking speed with which ChatGPT came into popular use (Hawley, 2023): it reached 1 million users in 5 days. Over the last several months, the academic community has watched and participated in the rapid progression and adoption of AI tools.