Learning to Live with Gen-AI

Dear Colleagues,

In 2023, in the wake of the launch of ChatGPT and based on GPT-3, we invited contributions from a wide range of MDPI journals on the Topic titled “AI chatbots: threat or opportunity?” Two years on, and the impact of Generative AI—Gen-AI—is becoming ever more apparent. The application of Gen-AI is causing consternation and uncertainty across wide swathes of society, including education, skill development, the creative arts, and employment.

In the commercial world, Gen-AI is being harnessed for applications such as customer relationship management, recruitment and career development, and strategic modelling. Governments are looking at the ways in which these technologies might produce cost-cutting and wider efficiencies in processing welfare applications, allocating resources, and managing healthcare.  

In terms of Gartner’s Hype Cycle, Gen-AI has moved beyond the initial Technology Trigger phase, where it was first seen as a breakthrough technology, generating significant media interest. The question is the extent to which this early potential and promise may or may not lead to a Peak of Inflated Expectations, where the initial spike in attention is gradually seen as overstated and hyped. It remains to be seen whether or not the subsequent phases of the Hype Cycle—Trough of Disillusionment, Slope of Enlightenment, Plateau of Productivity—will apply to Gen-AI technologies.

On the other hand, the emergence of these technologies has elicited both positive and negative responses, with many of the Gen-AI vendors proclaiming the benefits and virtues of their products and Gen-AI overall, while others painting a far more pessimistic view of the future, including many of those who were previously involved in the development of these technologies themselves.

The issues raised by Gen-AI impact a range of practices and disciplines, as well as numerous facets of our everyday lives and interactions. Hence, this invitation to submit work comes from editors associated with a wide variety of MDPI journals, encompassing a range of inter-related perspectives on the topic. We are keen to receive submissions relating to these technologies, also with regard to the wider implications of their use in social, technical, and educational contexts.

We are open to all manner of submissions, but to give some indication of the aspects of key interest, we list the following questions and issues:

• The development of Gen-AI has been claimed to herald a new era, offering significant advances in the incorporation of technology into people’s lives and interactions. Is this likely to be the case, and if so, where are these impacts going to be the most pervasive and effective?
• Is it possible to strike a balance regarding the impact of these technologies so that any potential harms are minimized, while potential benefits are maximized and shared?
• How should educators respond to the challenge of Gen-AI? Should they welcome this technology and re-orient teaching and learning strategies around it, or seek to safeguard traditional practices from what is seen as a major threat?
• There is a growing body of evidence that the design and implementation of many AI applications, i.e., algorithms, incorporate bias and prejudice. How can this be countered and corrected?
• How can the academic world and the wider public be protected against the creation of "alternative facts" by AI? Should researchers be required to submit their data with manuscripts to show that the data are authentic? What is the role of ethics committees in protecting the integrity of research?
• Can the technology underlying AI chatbots be enhanced to guard against misuse and vulnerabilities?
• Novel models and algorithms for using Gen-AI in various personalized contexts, e.g., counselling and healthcare.
• Techniques for controlling, correcting, and supervising Gen-AI.
• Evaluation methods for assessing the performance of Gen-AI.
• Case studies and experiences in developing and deploying Gen-AI in real-world scenarios.
• Social and ethical issues related to Gen-AI.

The potential impact of these technologies on the topics covered by the MDPI journals involved is twofold: on the one hand, there is a need for research on the technological bases underlying Gen-AI; on the other hand, there are many aspects relating to the support and assistance that Gen-AI can provide to designers, developers, and others operating in the many fields and practices encompassed by this collection of journals that could be explored.

Prof. Dr. Antony Bryant, Editor-in-Chief of Informatics
Prof. Dr. Paolo Bellavista, Editor-in-Chief of Computers, Section Editor-in-Chief of Future Internet
Prof. Dr. Kenji Suzuki, Editor-in-Chief of AI
Prof. Dr. Horacio Saggion, Editorial Board Member of Information
Prof. Dr. Roberto Montemanni, Section Editor-in-Chief of Algorithms
Prof. Dr. Andreas Holzinger, Editor-in-Chief of MAKE
Prof. Dr. Min Chen, Editor-in-Chief of BDCC
Topic Editors