The use of artificial intelligence in various fields has increased significantly in recent years. One of the areas that have seen the most significant impact is education, where AI tools such as ChatGPT have been used to facilitate the learning process. However, the use of AI in academia has gone beyond learning and teaching to include other areas such as research, writing, and even letter writing. In this report, we explore how a professor used ChatGPT to write a recommendation letter that helped a student win a prestigious scholarship at the University of Cambridge. We also discuss the features of ChatGPT that have made it a game-changer in academia and the concerns that its increasing use raises.
The Case of Matt Huculak and ChatGPT
Matt Huculak, the head of advanced research services at the University of Victoria’s libraries, made headlines in early 2022 when he revealed that he had used ChatGPT to write a recommendation letter for a student who went on to win a scholarship at the University of Cambridge. Huculak described the task of writing a recommendation letter as “anxiety-producing,” noting that professors often reuse previous letters and modify them for a specific student, resulting in drab letters. Huculak wanted to write a unique letter that would stand out, and he turned to ChatGPT for help.
ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI that uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like responses to text inputs. It was trained on a massive dataset of internet text, which enables it to generate text that is grammatically correct, coherent, and contextually relevant. To use ChatGPT, a user inputs a prompt or question, and the AI generates a response that is typically several sentences long. The AI tool has several features that make it particularly useful for writing recommendation letters.
Firstly, ChatGPT can generate text that is personalised and tailored to a specific student. By inputting information about the student, such as their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities, the AI can generate a letter that highlights the student’s strengths and accomplishments. This makes the letter more compelling and persuasive than a generic letter that could apply to any student.
Secondly, ChatGPT can generate text that is free from bias and discrimination. Traditional recommendation letters are often plagued by bias, whether conscious or unconscious. ChatGPT, on the other hand, is trained on a diverse dataset and does not have any biases or prejudices. This means that the letter it generates is fair and objective, based solely on the student’s merits.
Finally, ChatGPT can generate text that is of high quality and free from errors. Writing a recommendation letter can be a daunting task, especially for non-native English speakers. ChatGPT eliminates the need for the writer to worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation, ensuring that the letter is professional and error-free.
The Impact of ChatGPT on Academia
The use of ChatGPT in academia is not new. Researchers have used the AI tool to generate academic papers, summarise research articles, and even grade essays. However, the use of ChatGPT to write recommendation letters is a new development that has the potential to transform the application process for students.
One of the main benefits of using ChatGPT to write recommendation letters is that it saves time and reduces the workload for professors. Writing recommendation letters can be a time-consuming task, especially if a professor has to write letters for multiple students. ChatGPT can generate a letter in a matter of minutes, freeing up professors to focus on other tasks.
