These sixty minute, weekly sessions – facilitated by Technologists and Pedagogy Experts from the CTLT – are designed for faculty and staff at UBC who are using, or thinking about using, Generative AI tools as part of their teaching, researching, or daily work. Each week we discuss the news of the week, highlight a specific tool for use within teaching and learning, and then hold a question and answer session for attendees.

They run on Zoom every Wednesday from 1pm – 2pm and you can register for upcoming events on the CTLT Events Website.

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News of the Week

Each week we discuss several new items that happened in the Generative AI space over the past 7 days. There’s usually a flood of new AI-adjacent news every week – as this industry is moving so fast – so we highlight news articles which are relevant to the UBC community.

Here’s this week’s news:

Celebrate Learning Week Recap:

Celebrate Learning Week 2024 at the University of British Columbia focused on “Remembering the Human in the Loop.” The event included open lectures, workshops, and panel discussions emphasizing the integration of human aspects alongside technological advances in education. Event recordings and further details.

ChatGPT 4o:

ChatGPT 4o has been released and is now available for free, although it requires users to create an account to access. Without an account, users can only access ChatGPT 3.5. This release marks a significant update, emphasizing the importance of signing in to leverage the full capabilities of the latest model. More details on ChatGPT 4o.

Ilya Sutskever leaving OpenAI:

Ilya Sutskever, a prominent figure at OpenAI, has left the organization. His departure marks a significant change in the leadership at OpenAI, a key player in the AI field. Read more about his departure.

Google Gemini Updates:

Google’s Gemini AI assistant has introduced several updates, including a disclaimer that human reviewers process conversations to enhance the technology. This transparency is crucial as it impacts user privacy and the functionality of the Gemini Apps. Explore the new features and specific app changes.

Google Gemma 2 and PaliGemma:

Google has expanded its AI offerings with the introduction of Gemma 2 (27b) and PaliGemma. These tools represent advancements in AI capabilities, focusing on enhancing user interactions and backend processes. Learn more about these new developments.

Falcon2:

The UAE has launched Falcon2 11b, a new AI model aimed at competing with major tech companies. This model is part of the UAE’s broader strategy to establish a significant presence in the global AI landscape. Read more about Falcon2 11b.

Game Theory to improve LLMs?

MIT researchers are exploring how game theory can enhance the text comprehension and generation skills of large language models (LLMs). This approach could lead to more sophisticated and nuanced AI capabilities. Find out more about this research.

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Tool of the Week

Each week we demonstrate a Generative AI tool that can be used within teaching and learning. The GenAI space is evolving rapidly, and as such we demo new tools or new ways people use those tools.

As a reminder not all tools we showcase have successfully been through the PIA process at UBC.

Tool of the Week: Socrates

What is Socrates?

Socrates is an open source, custom-built WordPress plugin developed by The CTLT in collaboration with the Allard School of Law, that provides a chat-like interface helping guide students through a socratic exercise to dig into their presuppositions or assumptions in an argument they are making.

How is it used?

Available later this spring to all UBC instructors and faculty with WordPress access, Socrates can be easily implemented on websites supported by UBC CMS and UBC Blogs. Users can request the plugin for their site or download it directly from UBC’s GitHub repository. The tool provides functionalities like an automatic research aggregator and a ‘News of the Week’ post publisher, which streamline the integration of relevant content into class websites.

What is it used for?

Primarily, Socrates is designed to enhance critical thinking skills in students by guiding them through structured, contextual, discipline-specific Socratic conversations. It supports instructors in creating more engaging and reflective learning environments, making it particularly useful in disciplines that value deep analytical skills and robust argumentative abilities.

For more details, you can check the UBC’s guide to using Socrates

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Questions and Answers

Each studio ends with a question and answer session whereby attendees can ask questions of the pedagogy experts and technologists who facilitate the sessions. We have published a full FAQ section on this site. If you have other questions about GenAI usage, please get in touch.