Erik Ofgang at Tech and Learning discusses how Sal Khan uses generative AI chatbots to explore questions about a topic. Kahn provide an example on how he used Khanmigo to understand why the death of a star would lead to an outward explosion:
“I would think it would collapse if you have all the fusion stopping,” Khan explained to the AI when prompted.
The AI told him he wasn’t wrong but asked several questions encouraging him to think more about that collapse and what collapsing entails. “Have you ever seen anything that falls quickly without bouncing?” The AI asked. Khan responded, “Oh, so are you telling me that it collapses so quickly that it essentially compresses the core and that it rebounds?”
The AI said, “Yes, that’s exactly what’s going on.”
Generative AI chatbots can provide a way for students to have a dialogue to explore their questions and misconceptions about a topic at their own pace. However, it is important for students to use education focused chatbots that allow teachers to monitor the students conversations. Also, students must learn to verify the information they receive from a chatbot against trusted sources.