GenAI and Academic Writing

AI Sweeps the 2024 Nobel Prize! This year, the Physics and Chemistry prizes among the three major science awards were awarded to scientists in the field of artificial intelligence. People jokingly say that the Nobel Prize has entered the AI era, does this also mean that our learning and research have entered the AI era?

Since the 1950s, humanity has begun to pursue the dream of AI. Throughout the development of AI, there have been robots like Watson that defeated humans in the quiz show “Jeopardy!” and Deep Blue that defeated chess masters, but few AI technologies have brought significant changes to people’s lives. Until GenAI emerged, the generative artificial intelligence technology seemed to overnight blossom in people’s lives, sprouting and thriving.

Compared to previous AI technologies, GenAI is trained based on a large amount of data and can continuously evolve based on new data. GenAI brings significant intelligent experiences in language, images, and audio. For us in schools, teachers can use GenAI to assist research, generate personalized teaching materials and exercises that match students’ learning progress and styles; students majoring in painting can use GenAI to create drawings; music students can compose music using GenAI; students in journalism and film can create videos with GenAI; and everyone can use GenAI to assist in academic writing.

In academic writing, GenAI can help us achieve literature reviews, provide creative topics, support arguments with evidence, verify data, and improve the organization of language. Of course, GenAI also has flaws; the content generated by GenAI may also contain errors, be outdated, biased or offensive, lack common sense, and lack originality.

Our library collection includes classic works by several scholars on artificial intelligence, including introductions to ChatGPT and generative AI. Some of the books are as follows:

1. “This Is ChatGPT”

This book will roughly introduce the internal mechanisms of ChatGPT and then explore why it can generate what we consider meaningful text so well. It includes two long articles written by the author shortly after ChatGPT was released. The first article introduces ChatGPT and explains why it has the ability to generate language like humans. The second article looks forward to the future of ChatGPT, anticipating that it can use computational tools to do what humans cannot, especially utilizing the computational knowledge “superpowers” of the Wolfram Alpha system.

Library Call Number: TP18/W4512 2023

Author: Stephen Wolfram, translated by the Stephen Wolfram WOLFRAM Media Localization Team

Publication Information: People’s Posts and Telecommunications Press, 2023

2. “My Research Assistant: A Comprehensive Practical Guide to ChatGPT”

This book details how researchers can make ChatGPT a competent research assistant through nearly a hundred practical research cases. Using ChatGPT, the following tasks can be accomplished: ① Determine research topics and build questions. ② Develop and refine hypotheses based on selected research questions. ③ Conduct literature reviews covering all steps of systematic reviews. ④ Choose appropriate research designs and corresponding methodologies. ⑤ Develop reliable and efficient research tools. ⑥ Collect and process data. ⑦ Interpret and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. ⑧ Write and revise research papers. ⑨ Address peer review comments. ⑩ Disseminate research results through public and social media platforms. All these tasks can be accomplished by simply entering prompts in the ChatGPT interface.

Library Call Number: TP18-62/A164 2024

Author: An Ruopeng, translated by Wang Xuebin, Gao Gujia

Publication Information: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, 2024

3. “Generative AI: The Future of Artificial Intelligence”

This book provides a panoramic interpretation of the development of artificial intelligence, exploring how technologies such as deep learning, computer vision art, and natural language processing empower artificial intelligence, showcasing the current development of generative AI and its commercial prospects, explaining the positive role of artificial intelligence in economic growth and improving production efficiency, while also discussing how our work and lifestyle will change.

Library Call Number: TP18-49/S656 2023

Author: James Skinner, translated by Zhang Yaqi

Publication Information: People’s Posts and Telecommunications Press, 2023

4. “Basics of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC)”

This book mainly covers: the application of AIGC in text content creation; the application of AIGC in image content creation; the application of AIGC in video content creation (digital humans); the application of AIGC in digital course content creation; and the application of AIGC in short video content creation. In each specific application scenario, the book explains the application of AIGC model tools through examples.

Library Call Number: TP18/S439 2024

Author: Compiled by the Editorial Committee of Basics of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC)

Publication Information: China Labor and Social Security Publishing House, 2024

5. “Efficient Writing with AIGC: How to Harness the Infinite Creativity of ChatGPT”

This book aims to help readers fully understand and master the relevant knowledge and usage of AIGC and ChatGPT, improve writing efficiency, and add innovative elements, making the writing process more enjoyable and productive. Specifically, it first introduces the concepts, principles, basic operations, encountered problems, and their solutions related to AIGC and ChatGPT; then, it provides detailed explanations for various types of writing, including copywriting, tools, creativity, and academia, combined with rich case studies, providing readers with immediately usable methods; finally, it reflects on and envisions AI writing, helping readers gain a fuller understanding of AI writing.

Library Call Number: TP18-43/S488 2024

Author: Shi Zhongzhi

Publication Information: Mechanical Industry Press, 2024