ChatGPT in education: A discourse analysis of worries and concerns on social media

TL;DR

This study analyzes Twitter discussions to identify key concerns about ChatGPT's use in education, highlighting issues like academic integrity, learning impact, and policy, emphasizing the need for responsible AI integration.

Contribution

It employs BERT-based topic modeling and social network analysis to uncover and categorize concerns about ChatGPT in education from social media data.

Findings

Users generally positive towards ChatGPT in education

Five main concern categories identified: integrity, learning impact, capabilities, policy, workforce

Tech and education users are most active in discussions

Abstract

The rapid advancements in generative AI models present new opportunities in the education sector. However, it is imperative to acknowledge and address the potential risks and concerns that may arise with their use. We analyzed Twitter data to identify key concerns related to the use of ChatGPT in education. We employed BERT-based topic modeling to conduct a discourse analysis and social network analysis to identify influential users in the conversation. While Twitter users generally ex-pressed a positive attitude towards the use of ChatGPT, their concerns converged to five specific categories: academic integrity, impact on learning outcomes and skill development, limitation of capabilities, policy and social concerns, and workforce challenges. We also found that users from the tech, education, and media fields were often implicated in the conversation, while education and tech individual users led the discussion of concerns. Based on these findings, the study provides several implications for policymakers, tech companies and individuals, educators, and media agencies. In summary, our study underscores the importance of responsible and ethical use of AI in education and highlights the need for collaboration among stakeholders to regulate AI policy.