In February our own Dr Jodi Burkett posted this article on the problems of relying on AI for the study of history. So we thought it would be interesting to follow up with some of our students’ views on the topic. For their Thinking Like an Historian Module, first-year history students were asked to read two essays, one written with and one without AI, and then give their personal thoughts about and experiences with this technology, and what they think is useful and permissible use of these types of tools at university. Their opinions provide useful food for thought for educators. Some students felt they could cope better without using […]
Tag Archives | artificial intelligence
Why do a history degree when you can just ask AI what happened?
This is a question that we are increasingly being asked by prospective students (and their parents!) at open days. It is certainly a valid question when AI seems to be making all sorts of people question how and why we do certain things. But it is based on a misunderstanding, or partial understanding, of what historians do and what history students are being trained to do. 1. AI can tell us WHAT happened but not WHY (or, importantly, why it matters) History is not about knowing when the Crimean War happened, or who was Prime Minister in 1957. Although knowing these types of ‘facts’ is certainly useful, this […]