Generative AI & Chatbots: The Substitute Who Knew Too Much
My presentation explores the challenges and opportunities of integrating chatbots and generative AI into teaching geomatics courses. It reflects on the experience gained since the arrival of ChatGPT in 2022. Challenges include inequalities in access to technological tools, the risk that students overly rely on ready-made solutions (e.g., AI-generated code), and ethical issues such as plagiarism. Opportunities lie in personalized coding assistance (e.g., debugging with a chatbot), the creation of innovative geomatics projects (e.g., integration of advanced concepts), and the enhancement of skills when these tools are used as a pedagogical lever. By calling these new tools the substitute who knew too much, it aptly captures the concerns of the education community. However, it also presents an opportunity to rethink our teaching methods and transform geomatics learning when they are skillfully mastered.

2025-04-14 2 PM
Dr. Yves Voirin, Department of Applied Geomatics, University of Sherbrooke and Geoimage Solutions, QC, Canada