Picture of Provost, Presenters and a cross section of staff of the College
As part of activities marking the celebration of the Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa, the School of Information and Communication Studies, College of Education, organised a panel discussion on the topic “Responses to ChatGPT: Perspectives from Ghanaian Academics, Media and Information Technology Practitioners” on Wednesday June 14, 2023 at the Balme Library, University of Ghana, Legon.
Professor Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, Dean, School of Information and Communication Studies
In her welcome address, the Dean of the School, Professor Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, stated that the topic was appropriate given the current context of increasing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on academia and media.
Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost, College of Education
Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost, College of Education and Chairperson for the event noted that the discussion was on a very topical issue as ChatGPT had implications for academics and media practitioners. “Artificial Intelligence or AI as a field of research was not new, thus AI research was born at a workshop in Dartmouth College, before Ghana gained independence in 1956 to be specific”, he added. He explained that people use applications of AI in their daily lives, the most common of which perhaps is google.
Professor Codjoe indicated that experts in the field from both inside and outside the University have been assembled to ensure diverse perspectives and insights on the subject matter to help attendees understand what ChatGPT is and what it means for members of the UG community broadly, and for the College of Education and the School of Information and Communication Studies specifically.
Dr. Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, moderator and Head of Department of Communication Studies
Dr. Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, the moderator for the panel discussion underscored the importance of how the theme for the discussion relates to the theme for the 75th anniversary celebration of the University, which is : Nurturing Resilience, Adopting technology and Embracing Humanism. She said University of Ghana as an educational institution should be intentional about the use of ChatGPT and its implications.
The panel was made up of Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, Senior Lecturer, Department of Distance Education, College of Education, Mr. Godfred Akoto Boafo, Media Practitioner, Citi FM and Dr. Karim Awudu, Lecturer, Department of Information Studies, College of Education.
Dr. Karim Awudu, Lecturer specialised in AI at the Deparment of Information Studies
In his submission, Dr. Karim Awudu explained that ChatGPT is a language model that has been trained with a lot of data to be able to generate human-like responses. He emphasised the importance of addressing data security and privacy concerns associated with ChatGPT adding that regulators and developers need to work together to establish policies and transparency measures to safeguard user data.
Mr. Godfred Akoto Boafo, a media practitioner/Citi FM
Mr. Godfred Akoto Boafo, a media practitioner /Journalist at Citi FM in addressing the issue, said that putting in place the right policies in regulating ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence should be at the top of the government’s agenda especially because the government is running a digitalisation agenda. “If you are looking to run a digitalised economy, you surely need to be interested in evolving technology”, he added.
He further highlighted the significance of building the capacity of faculty, administrators, staff, and students to ensure the smart, ethical, and responsible use of ChatGPT such as organising training and awareness programmes to understand the capabilities and limitations of technology.
Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, Senior Lecturer of Information Technology and Education; Co-ordinator of International Programmes at the College
Contributing to the discussion, Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, mentioned the need to adapt differential assessment methods to accommodate the use of AI such as ChatGPT in education. He also called for the involvement of relevant organisations such as the Data Protection Commission and the Ghana Standards Authority in developing policies and standards regarding the use of AI technologies. Additionally, he noted that the University must first build the capacity of its people, and develop the necessary infrastructure. Dr. Aheto emphasised that having the tool does not solve the problem, it however, depends on the knowledge level of its users.
Cross section of the dignitaries and participants at the Session
The programme which was well attended by faculty, staff and students provided valuable insights and contributions to a broader understanding of the implications of AI technology specifically ChatGPT on Ghanaian academia and media. The event ended with an extensive question and answer session.
