Simulated Minds - Using AI to Deepen Research Insights | Ep. 24

In this episode of ChatEDU (Simulated Minds - Using AI to Deepen Research Insights), Matt and Liz explore the use of AI in social science research, focusing on a study from NYU and Stanford about using large language models to simulate research participants.

First in our Intro: Matt and Liz discuss a trend of women using AI to fact-check men's height claims on dating apps. They then explore contrasting organizational approaches to AI adoption:

• AI Bans in Organizations: Matt shares an anecdote about a friend's workplace banning all access to generative AI, while Liz discusses similar bans in various organizations.

• Moderna's AI Adoption: Liz highlights Moderna's extensive use of custom GPTs across their organization, with 750 custom GPTs created and 40% of users actively using them weekly.

Then in the News:

• Grok2 Image Generation Tool: Matt introduces Elon Musk's new AI model, Grok2 which lacks typical content filters. They discuss its potential misuse in school settings and the challenges it presents for educators and parents.

• Student Attitudes Toward AI in Education: Liz shares findings from a global AI student survey by the Digital Education Council, revealing that many students believe overuse of AI in teaching devalues education and negatively impacts academic performance.

Beneath the Surface: Matt and Liz examine a research paper on using large language models to predict results of social science experiments:

• Discussion of the study's methodology using AI to simulate research participants based on demographic profiles

• Exploration of potential applications in cost-effective pilot studies and augmenting traditional research methods

• Demonstration of the approach using Liz's doctoral dissertation on student self-efficacy in high school mathematics

• Simulation of a research participant named Amber and comparison of AI-generated responses to actual research data

Short Stack Chat Back: A simulated Charles Darwin summarizes this week’s Beneath the Surface in three short sentences.

Have a question or comment? Please email Matt and Liz at chatedu@edadvance.org 

Related Links:

• Digital Education Council Global AI Student Survey: https://www.digitaleducationcouncil.com/post/digital-education-council-global-ai-student-survey-2024 

• NYU and Stanford Research Paper: https://docsend.com/view/ity6yf2dansesucf# 

• EdAdvance AI Resources: skills21.org/AI 

• Grok2 Image Woes: https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/14/24220173/xai-grok-image-generator-misinformation-offensive-imges