Generative AI Ethics in Open and Distance Learning: ChatGPT's Role Under the Lens

Abstract

Digital media technologies and platforms are increasingly used on a wide scale in the field of education more specifically in the field of open and distance learning. Distance education has indeed come a long way from the Correspondence model to the Intelligent Flexible Learning model. With every passing year, news technologies and digital platforms have changed the way communication takes place. These days the emphasis has shifted from e-learning to u-learning which is an amalgamation of e-learning and m-learning that allows learning to take place independently of time and place. Since learners in open and distance learning system are not in direct face to face contact with the instructors, so they are provided with learners’ support services which can facilitate the teaching-learning process. With the advancement in the field of ICT, technologies like blockchain, virtual reality, mixed reality and most importantly artificial intelligence have captured the attention of the learners and academicians alike. Generative AI or GenAI creates content in response to written prompts. It produces text, images, videos, music, software code, and many more. In this paper special emphasis will be given on analysing ChatGPT, which is a large language model-based chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022. This paper intends to analyse the ethical concerns of Generative AI in the field of distance education by specifically focusing on ChatGPT.

Keywords : Information and Communication Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Open and Distance Learning, ChatGPT