Einstein and Anime: Hong Kong University Tests AI Professors

Students at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology use virtual reality headsets in class. Peter PARKS / AFP
Students at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology use virtual reality headsets in class. Peter PARKS / AFP
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Einstein and Anime: Hong Kong University Tests AI Professors

Students at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology use virtual reality headsets in class. Peter PARKS / AFP
Students at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology use virtual reality headsets in class. Peter PARKS / AFP

Using virtual reality headsets, students at a Hong Kong university travel to a pavilion above the clouds to watch an AI-generated Albert Einstein explain game theory.
The students are part of a course at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) that is testing the use of "AI lecturers" as the artificial intelligence revolution hits campuses around the world, AFP said.
The mass availability of tools such as ChatGPT has sparked optimism about new leaps in productivity and teaching, but also fears over cheating, plagiarism and the replacement of human instructors.
Professor Pan Hui, the project lead for HKUST's AI project, is not worried about being replaced by the tech and believes it can actually help ease what he described as a global shortage of teachers.
"AI teachers can bring in diversity, bring in an interesting aspect, and even immersive storytelling," Hui told AFP.
In his "Social Media for Creatives" course, AI-generated instructors teach 30 post-graduate students about immersive technologies and the impact of digital platforms.
These instructors are generated after presentation slides are fed into a program. The looks, voices and gestures of the avatars can be customized, and they can be displayed on a screen or VR headsets.
This is mixed with in-person teaching by Hui, who says the system frees human lecturers from the "more tedious" parts of their job.
For student Lerry Yang, whose PhD research focuses on the metaverse, the advantage of AI lecturers was in the ability to tailor them to individual preferences and boost learning.
If the AI teacher "makes me feel more mentally receptive, or if it feels approachable and friendly, that erases the feeling of distance between me and the professor", she told AFP.
- 'Everybody's doing it' -
Educators around the world are grappling with the growing use of generative AI, from trying to reliably detect plagiarism to setting the boundaries for the use of such tools.
While initially hesitant, most Hong Kong universities last year allowed students to use AI to degrees that vary from course to course.
At HKUST, Hui is testing avatars with different genders and ethnic backgrounds, including the likenesses of renowned academic figures such as Einstein and the economist John Nash.
"So far, the most popular type of lecturers are young, beautiful ladies," Hui said.
An experiment with Japanese anime characters split opinion, said Christie Pang, a PhD student working with Hui on the project.
"Those who liked it really loved it. But some students felt they couldn't trust what (the lecturer) said," she said.
There could be a future where AI teachers surpass humans in terms of trustworthiness, Hui said, though he said he preferred a mix of the two.
"We as university teachers will better take care of our students in, for example, their emotional intelligence, creativity and critical thinking," he said.
For now, despite the wow factor for students, the technology is far from the level where it could pose a serious threat to human teachers.
It cannot interact with students or answer questions and like all AI-powered content generators, it can offer false, even bizarre answers -- sometimes called “hallucinations".
In a survey of more than 400 students last year, University of Hong Kong professor Cecilia Chan found that respondents preferred humans over digital avatars.
"(Students) still prefer to talk to a real person, because a real teacher would provide their own experience, feedback and empathy," said Chan, who researches the intersection of AI and education.
"Would you prefer to hear from a computer 'Well done'?"
That said, students are already using AI tools to help them learn, Chan added.
"Everybody's doing it."
At HKUST, Hui's student Yang echoed that view: "You just can't go against the advancement of this technology."



Justice at Stake as Generative AI Enters the Courtroom

Generative artificial intelligence has been used in the US legal system by judges performing research, lawyers filing appeals and parties involved in cases who wanted help expressing themselves in court. Jefferson Siegel / POOL/AFP
Generative artificial intelligence has been used in the US legal system by judges performing research, lawyers filing appeals and parties involved in cases who wanted help expressing themselves in court. Jefferson Siegel / POOL/AFP
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Justice at Stake as Generative AI Enters the Courtroom

Generative artificial intelligence has been used in the US legal system by judges performing research, lawyers filing appeals and parties involved in cases who wanted help expressing themselves in court. Jefferson Siegel / POOL/AFP
Generative artificial intelligence has been used in the US legal system by judges performing research, lawyers filing appeals and parties involved in cases who wanted help expressing themselves in court. Jefferson Siegel / POOL/AFP

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is making its way into courts despite early stumbles, raising questions about how it will influence the legal system and justice itself.

Judges use the technology for research, lawyers utilize it for appeals and parties involved in cases have relied on GenAI to help express themselves in court.

"It's probably used more than people expect," said Daniel Linna, a professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, about GenAI in the US legal system.

"Judges don't necessarily raise their hand and talk about this to a whole room of judges, but I have people who come to me afterward and say they are experimenting with it”.

In one prominent instance, GenAI enabled murder victim Chris Pelkey to address an Arizona courtroom -- in the form of a video avatar -- at the sentencing of the man convicted of shooting him dead in 2021 during a clash between motorists.

"I believe in forgiveness," said a digital proxy of Pelkey created by his sister, Stacey Wales.

The judge voiced appreciation for the avatar, saying it seemed authentic.

"I knew it would be powerful," Wales told , "that that it would humanize Chris in the eyes of the judge."

The AI testimony, a first of its kind, ended the sentencing hearing at which Wales and other members of the slain man's family spoke about the impact of the loss.

Since the hearing, examples of GenAI being used in US legal cases have multiplied.

"It is a helpful tool and it is time-saving, as long as the accuracy is confirmed," said attorney Stephen Schwartz, who practices in the northeastern state of Maine.

"Overall, it's a positive development in jurisprudence."

Schwartz described using ChatGPT as well as GenAI legal assistants, such as LexisNexis Protege and CoCounsel from Thomson Reuters, for researching case law and other tasks.

"You can't completely rely on it," Schwartz cautioned, recommending that cases proffered by GenAI be read to ensure accuracy.

"We are all aware of a horror story where AI comes up with mixed-up case things."

The technology has been the culprit behind false legal citations, far-fetched case precedents, and flat-out fabrications.

In early May, a federal judge in Los Angeles imposed $31,100 in fines and damages on two law firms for an error-riddled petition drafted with the help of GenAI, blasting it as a "collective debacle."

The tech is also being relied on by some who skip lawyers and represent themselves in court, often causing legal errors.

And as GenAI makes it easier and cheaper to draft legal complaints, courts already overburdened by caseloads could see them climb higher, said Shay Cleary of the National Center for State Courts.

"Courts need to be prepared to handle that," Cleary said.

Transformation

Law professor Linna sees the potential for GenAI to be part of the solution though, giving more people the ability to seek justice in courts made more efficient.

"We have a huge number of people who don't have access to legal services," Linna said.

"These tools can be transformative; of course we need to be thoughtful about how we integrate them."

Federal judges in the US capitol have written decisions noting their use of ChatGPT in laying out their opinions.

"Judges need to be technologically up-to-date and trained in AI," Linna said.

GenAI assistants already have the potential to influence the outcome of cases the same way a human law clerk might, reasoned the professor.

Facts or case law pointed out by GenAI might sway a judge's decision, and could be different than what a legal clerk would have come up with.

But if GenAI lives up to its potential and excels at finding the best information for judges to consider, that could make for well-grounded rulings less likely to be overturned on appeal, according to Linna.