Edmonton students write Valentine’s poems for entire school using artificial intelligence
Posted February 14, 2023 8:31 am.
Last Updated February 14, 2023 8:36 am.
While some schools have become blocking new artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, students in Edmonton are hoping to highlight its positive and ethical use.
ValeNLP is the creation of three Grade 11 students at Old Scona Academic with the goal of “spreading love and kindness in our communities using artificial intelligence (AI)”.
The International Baccalaureate students used the new Open AI chatbot, ChatGPT, to generate a personalized poem for every student in their school in time for Valentine’s Day.
BACKGROUND: What is ChatGPT and why are schools blocking it?
Co-creator Julianna Huang knew it would be difficult for three people to write 369 personalized poems, saying they decided to “use ChatGPT and use it positively, especially since everything in the news is portraying it as a negative sentiment.”
Huang stresses, though, the poems still have a human element. With the help of volunteers from all grades, the ValeNLP team collected compliments for each student to then input into ChatGPT as the basis of the poems.
David Liu (left) Julianna Huang (middle) and Oliver Chen (right) hold up templates of ValeNLP Feb. 13, 2023. (Credit: CityNews/Carly Robinson)
“It’s an opportunity for students to learn and explore new technology and an ethical way of using it,” said Old Scona computer science teacher Jeff Karas.
Karas recognizes there are negative uses of the new AI, noting some of his colleagues have begun using AI detection software along programs used to detect plagiarism.
“The important thing for students to understand that there is an ethical responsibility of using it as well,” said Karas. “And making sure when they hand in their material that it is their material.”
Karas believes it’s important to talk to students about new technology, especially as it’s anticipated to impact many of their careers moving forward.
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Oliver Chen, the ValeNLP co-creator, sees the importance of transparency when using AI.
“On each of our cards we have a clear disclaimer that this was written by artificial intelligence” says the Grade 11 student.
He says disclaimers can explain “why the text is the way it is, if there are any flaws in. And of course, you don’t want to be taking liability for anything the AI has written that you didn’t mean to say.”
AI struggled with some slang
Each of the 369 poems were read over, and some of them needed to be redone.
ValeNLP’s David Liu says the AI had trouble with “slang, like calling someone a G.O.A.T.”
He says ChatGPT was unable to make the distinction between the acronym for “Greatest of All Time,” and the barnyard animal.
Liu points to AI already commonly used in our life, like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa.
“Both use AI for language recognition,” he said. “In the future it will only become more advanced and integrated in our lives.”
But as the technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the students recognize artificial intelligence can feel unknown to many.
Huang says, in describing the AI to someone like her grandparents who are not acquainted with the tech, it’s important to remind that it is all created by humans.
“It’s not aliens coming on earth and giving us poems,” said Huang. “It’s still completely from humans. And we’ve just developed the technology to further create and innovate.”
