UNDERGRADUATES’ CHATGPT DEPENDENCE AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR LEARNING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) has since late 2022 taken the world by storm because of its ability to facilitate many academic and professional activities. There is however a gap in research on the use frequency and dependence on this tool as an effective means of learning by students from linguistically and socio-economically challenged backgrounds in developing countries, such as South Africa. The quantitative study results presented in this article involved 50 first-year students who completed an online structured questionnaire using the ChatGPT tool via mobile devices. The findings revealed that many of the respondents were familiar with the tool which they used in all their modules. The respondents expressed trust in the tool that they often used. The overall evaluation of the ChatGPT tool showed that, with some control, Artificial Intelligent technologies have a significant potential to be used as a learning agent to increase business communication and academic literacy skills among students from a disadvantaged backgrounds.

Keywords

• artificial intelligence
• dependence
• productivity
• socio-economic background
• learning