David Williamson Shaffer recently lent his expertise on artificial intelligence to news reports featured on two Wisconsin television stations.
Shaffer is the Sears Bascom Professor of Learning Analytics and the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Learning Sciences at the UW–Madison School of Education and a Data Philosopher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
In a story aired on WKOW in Madison, Shaffer argued schools shouldn’t ban AI tools like ChatGPT, but instead figure out how to teach students to use the tools appropriately. He said he could envision AI becoming commonplace in educational environments in the future.
“It’s wrong to ban ChatGPT,” he said. “Because students are going to need to know how to use these technologies correctly, they’re going to need to know how to use them without plagiarizing and they’re going to need to know how to use them to ask the right questions.”
Shaffer recently outlined this argument in an op-ed published in Newsweek.
In a story aired on WAOW in Wausau, Shaffer explained and weighed in on a new AI feature rolled out on the social media platform Snapchat. Some, including law enforcement, have raised concerns about the new feature’s ability to spread incorrect or harmful information or violate the privacy rights of minors.
Shaffer said parents can and should play an important role in helping their children navigate the ever-changing social media landscape.
“In the same way that you don’t follow your kids around when they go out with their friends in the evening, but you talk with them about what they did and talk about what some of the dangers are, you assess their level of responsibility,” he said in the interview.
The full WKOW story is available here.
The full WAOW story is available here.