It’s not like a calculator, so what is the relationship between learners and generative artificial intelligence?
Jason M. Lodge, Suijing Yang, Leon Furze, Phillip Dawson
Abstract
It is becoming apparent that generative AI has significant implications for education. However, previous technologies that have had a large impact, such as calculators, do not provide a suitable model for understanding how generative AI can and will be used in learning. Drawing on research on human-computer interactions, we map out a typology of possible student-to-generative AI relationships to afford a more nuanced discussion about what these new technologies can and should be used for in learning. Our contribution in this article is to offer a typology for considering the range of possible interactions across two dimensions of relationships. In doing so, we argue that there is not a single metaphor for the relationship between humans and AI in learning, but many.