Harvard to roll out AI professors in flagship coding class for fall semester

[Kamaji]

Harvard to roll out AI professors in flagship coding class for fall semester

By Katherine Donlevy
June 30, 2023

AI has got a new gig.

Harvard is tapping artificial intelligence to help teach its most popular coding class next school year.

Starting in September, the Ivy League school’s Introduction to Computer Science, or CS50, will roll out a ChatGPT-like tool that aims to help both its human professor counterparts and students in the classroom, according to school newspaper, The Harvard Crimson.

The “CS50 bot” will be able to respond to frequently-asked student questions and is anticipated to be a more accessible version of a classroom professor.

“Our own hope is that, through AI, we can eventually approximate a 1:1 teacher:student ratio for every student in CS50, as by providing them with software-based tools that, 24/7, can support their learning at a pace and in a style that works best for them individually,” CS50 professor David J. Malan told the paper.

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/06/30/harvard-to-roll-out-ai-professors-in-flagship-coding-class-for-fall-semester/

[GtHawk]

  Introduction To Robot Masters 101 ?

[Free Vulcan]

I for one welcome our new AI professor overlords.

[DB]

LOL...

If AI can teach it, AI can do it. At that point there is no need for a student programmer.

[The_Reader_David]

Actually, it sounds more like AI teaching assistants than AI professors.

[Kamaji]

Actually, it sounds more like AI teaching assistants than AI professors.

True enough; the title is a bit misleading.  To me it sounds more like an automated customer representative service or a FAQ service.

[DB]

True enough; the title is a bit misleading.  To me it sounds more like an automated customer representative service or a FAQ service.

AI is supposed to be the next big thing in developing new code. Writing it without the need for human programmers. Because of the huge costs savings company will tolerate crappier less efficient code that "works" while pushing out the lower-level human programmers. And over time AI will work itself higher and higher through the human food chain.

[Fishrrman]

David observes:
"it sounds more like AI teaching assistants than AI professors."

First the teaching assistants.
Then... the professors.

Just for coding class.
...For now.

I think every professor in the place, tenured or not, is probably lookin' at this and wonderin'... "who will be next"??

Hmmmm.....
If the fancy schools don't have to keep live, well-paid faculty around, how will they justify charging their exorbitant tuitions...?

[sneakypete]

Introduction To Robot Masters 101 ?

@GtHawk

Well,Harvard IS "home base" to leftist loons  longing for a firm master to order them around..........

[jmyrlefuller]

David observes:
"it sounds more like AI teaching assistants than AI professors."

First the teaching assistants.
Then... the professors.

Just for coding class.
...For now.

I think every professor in the place, tenured or not, is probably lookin' at this and wonderin'... "who will be next"??

Hmmmm.....
If the fancy schools don't have to keep live, well-paid faculty around, how will they justify charging their exorbitant tuitions...?

By making sure the name on the diploma matters more than what is actually taught.

That's been Harvard's business model for decades.