SiTE Update: Which generative AI chatbot should I use?

What is AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a huge field encompassing a broad range of theories, technologies, and practices. When someone says ‘AI’ in 2024 it is more likely than not that they mean generative deep neural networks like GPT-4. We will restrict the scope of our advice to these generative AI tools.

We are accustomed to thinking of software as a tool. Microsoft Excel is like a (very fancy) digital wrench: it does exactly, and only, what you instruct it to do, step-by-step. To get proficient with this type of tool you need to read the manual and invest time in training. Almost all the software that we’ve worked with up to this point in our lives is of a similar nature.

The affordances offered by modern generative AI are sufficiently unlike those to which we have become accustomed that you will likely need to build a new mental model of human-machine interaction. If you have an expectation that software will do only exactly what you tell it, that expectation will be subverted. Likewise, if you have an expectation that software will not offer its own opinions, or occasionally challenge your instructions, you may be surprised! The best remedy for this is exposure, experience, and experimentation. Each use case for AI is likely specialized to the role, and person, using AI. The more time you spend using this technology, and experimenting with it, the greater the payoff to your productivity. It won’t do magic for you “out of the box”, but you can accelerate your learning by reading about the successes of others with similar use cases.

How should I use AI?

Please see our guidance by role. 

Contact us

Feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed by email to caio@uwo.ca. If you would like to invite Mark to speak to your team please email caio@uwo.ca.