She tells the BBC: “We definitely don’t think students should be using ChatGPT to outsource work”.
In her view, it’s best used as a tutor rather than just a provider of answers.
The example she gives is of a student having a back and forth with ChatGPT using the study mode setting.
You enter the question you’re having difficulty answering and the chatbot can break down its components and help you understand it.
The example she gives is of a student doing an assignment late at night about a topic they don’t quite understand.
“[If] you have an upcoming presentation to give and… it’s midnight, you’re not going to email your [university] tutor and ask for help,” she says.
“I think the potential is truly there for ChatGPT to accelerate learning when it’s used in a targeted way.”
But Prof Holmes insists that any student who uses AI tools should be aware of how its reasoning works and how the companies providing them handle data. He stresses that results should always be checked.
“It is not just the latest iteration of the calculator,” he says, describing AI’s far-reaching capabilities and implications.
“I never say to my students, you shouldn’t use AI… But what I do try to say is look, we need to understand all these different things about it so that you can make informed decisions.”