Understanding gen AI

Generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) represents a transformative technological advancement that is rapidly reshaping how we create, analyse, and interact with information.

Unlike traditional computer systems that primarily process or retrieve existing data, gen AI dynamically produces original text, images, code, audio, and video content using large language models (LLMs) and neural networks. These tools are trained on vast amounts of data, enabling them to analyse patterns in information and generate remarkably sophisticated outputs that can mirror human-like creativity and reasoning.

As well as providing many opportunities, the use of gen AI technology also raises profound questions about academic integrity, the nature of originality, sustainability, and the evolving relationship between human expertise and machine-generated insights.

A foundational understanding helps educators navigate gen AI’s capabilities and limitations, harnessing its potential while remaining critically aware of its constraints and pitfalls. To assist in developing this essential knowledge, please refer to the resource links below. 

• Thinking like an AI – Ethan Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania who studies the effects of AI on work and education. He has a great blog, One Useful Thing, that is worth following to keep up to date with easy-to-understand commentary on gen AI. This particular blog post from October 2024 discusses how people often struggle to effectively use gen AI because they treat it like a search engine (which it isn’t). In doing so, it describes the LLM model underpinning gen AI tools and how they make predictions based on training data.
• A Generative AI Primer – originally published by JISC in April 2023, but revised in August 2024, this is an easy-to-understand explainer that covers the basics of gen AI including key capabilities, limitations, and concerns. It also has a section covering the impact of gen AI on education.
• Generative AI Models Explained – this post (last updated September 2024) provides some insight if you’d like to delve a little bit deeper into the more technical side of things and understand the differences in gen AI technology that allows different tools to generate images, videos, and sound.
• An introduction to how gen AI works and prompt engineering – In this UOW L&T Hub article, Dr Armin Alimardani’s presentations demonstrate a foundational overview of how genAI works and practical strategies for prompting.
• Generative AI for Everyone – a five-hour free short course on Coursera by Andrew Ng.
• What Is Generative AI? – a one-hour free short course on LinkedIn Learning by Pinar Syhan Demirdag.