Elisabet Moyano,
Professor in the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences

ChatGPT itself believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way that healthcare professionals and scientists learn. There is no doubt that AI is revolutionizing the world and, thus, poses a new challenge in the field of education, too. The first thing we need to do is to accept that this technology will be present in our students’ daily lives. As a teacher and a scientist, I am convinced that the challenge lies in incorporating it into teaching as simply another tool. To do so, however, we will need to teach students to use it critically in order to achieve meaningful learning without letting it negatively interfere in the learning process.

Quick access to well-constructed information is a luxury that we currently have, and one that will no doubt evolve. But in this reality, how can we ensure that students learn to construct persuasive arguments, synthesize information, and, especially, approach it critically? How can we develop their ability to express themselves in writing or to learn? As I see it, the great risk posed by AI is failing to develop these general, transferrable skills in students.

ChatGPT is capable of explaining complex concepts, giving examples, and solving problems, but it is no substitute for the experience of a good teacher when it comes to generating learning processes and co-constructing knowledge

ChatGPT is capable of explaining complex concepts, giving examples, and solving problems, but it is no substitute for the experience of a good teacher when it comes to generating learning processes and co-constructing knowledge. Teachers play a key role in the classroom and serve as role models for future professionals. Today, it no longer makes sense to assign students tasks based on compiling information. But we can prepare activities for them to use this information in environments designed to equip them as much as possible with the professional skills they will need. Creativity in the application of knowledge in our classes may be the key to incorporating AI into learning. Project work, debates, or methodologies such as problem-based learning (PBL), jigsaw strategies, or simulations help students internalize this easily obtained information whilst, at the same time, developing key skills for their professional futures.

The evolution of technology also requires us to be multidisciplinary. As teachers, we need to train ourselves in the possibilities afforded by this tool and its professional applications, whether to design new drugs, detect tumours more efficiently, analyse biological data, or understand molecular mechanisms. Additionally, we need to prevent science from becoming dehumanized, to which end we need to integrate ethics or the humanities into the different studies.

We trust that it will be possible to use ChatGPT and other chatbots to help those who do not have easy access to quality education and that they will not accentuate such inequalities even further. The challenge for us, as a society, is to find a way to use them ethically for the common good.

In my view, the new challenges for education will be based on explaining AI as a new content, preparing students for the changes it entails, and teaching them to use this tool critically.