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ChatGPT for Education and Research: A Review of Benefits and Risks
Article in SSRN Electronic Journal · January 2023
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4378735
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Cambodian Journal of Educational Research (2023)
Online First Version
ChatGPT for education and research:
A review of benefits and risks
Sarin Sok
The University of Huddersfield
Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Kimkong Heng
Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Abstract
Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is an artificial intelligence (AI)
tool that can quickly generate detailed responses to prompts and follow-up
questions. This emerging AI tool was launched in November 2022 by an
American AI research laboratory, called OpenAI, using large language models.
In this article, the benefits and risks related to the use of ChatGPT in education
and research are discussed. The article argues that ChatGPT has at least five
main benefits, such as creating learning assessment, enhancing pedagogical
practice, offering virtual personal tutoring, creating an essay or research article
outline, and brainstorming ideas. However, there are risks related to academic
integrity issues, unfair learning assessment, inaccurate information, and over-
reliance on AI. The article offers a set of recommendations for effective use of
ChatGPT for educational and research purposes.
Keywords: ChatGPT; benefits; risks; education; research
ARTICLE HISTORY
Received 9 March 2023
Accepted 26 May 2023
Sarin Sok
[email protected]
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 1
Introduction
With the rapid advancement of technology and globalization of
interconnectedness, artificial intelligence (AI) has substantially influenced
many sectors, including education. In various ways, AI has the capability to
promote advancement and innovation in educational settings (Zhai, 2022). One
of the emerging AI tools that can be employed for educational purposes is
ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). ChatGPT is an AI chatbot
developed by an American AI company, called OpenAI. The number of
ChatGPT users has remarkably increased by over one million in just a week
after its launch on November 30, 2022 (Mollman, 2022). ChatGPT is a large
language model (LLM) with the capacity to produce suitable responses to
context and engage in natural-sounding conversation (Deng & Lin, 2022). At
present, there are three versions of ChatGPT: ChatGPT (a free version),
ChatGPT Plus (a premium version), and GPT-4 (an upgraded version)
(OpenAI, n.d.).
In educational settings, ChatGPT not only can assist in designing assessment,
producing essays, and translating languages, but it also enables users to pose
and answer a variety of questions, summarize texts, and interact with it like
peers (Sok, 2023). Baidoo-Anu and Ansah (2023) claimed that such a model
could also demonstrate creativity in writing on almost any topic from a single
paragraph to a full research article that can be seen as convincing or almost
convincing. Likewise, Atlas (2023) argued that tertiary education could benefit
greatly from the usage of ChatGPT and other language models, which can be
applied in a wide range of contexts, including writing aid, language acquisition,
research, and administration. Thus, it could be argued that ChatGPT has the
potential to be a useful tool for education and research.
Despite a number of possible educational advantages, many researchers have
argued that ChatGPT also presents significant downsides (Baidoo-Anu &
Ansah, 2023; Cotton et al., 2023; Gordijn & Have, 2023). A study by Mogali
(2023) found that, with an initial evaluation, ChatGPT did not consistently
respond with accurate information when questioning about anatomical facts in
its current version. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the existence of this
leading AI tool has both benefits and limitations.
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 2
Drawing on secondary sources, this article aims to discuss both benefits and
drawbacks of using ChatGPT in education and research. It begins by
highlighting key benefits that ChatGPT can offer, followed by potential risks
resulting from the use of ChatGPT in its initial stage. The article ends with
recommendations for effective use of ChatGPT for education and research.
Benefits of ChatGPT
Creating learning assessment
Given the fact that assessment is the backbone of quality education, ChatGPT
enables academic staff and teachers to have an innovative and flexible way to
create learning assessments with real-time feedback and reports. Zhai (2023)
contended that teachers could create learning assessment items using ChatGPT
while saving time and effort and potentially improving the quality of the
questions by adhering to a standard framework. With the abilities given by
ChatGPT, teachers could develop open-ended question prompts that are
aligned with the learning objectives and success criteria of the teaching lessons
(Baidoo-Anu & Ansah, 2023). Given that the majority of teachers spend plenty
of time creating quizzes, monthly tests, and examinations, it is clear that there
is an opportunity for educators to lessen the pressure of assessment by
receiving assistance from ChatGPT.
ChatGPT can also offer an automatic grading system with helpful feedback,
which is essential for improving students' learning outcomes. ChatGPT could
be leveraged to semi-automate students’ work grading through identifying
both weaknesses and strengths of the task in question (Kasneci et al., 2023).
These could include research articles, academic essays, and a wide range of
writing forms of assignments. In this sense, it is useful for educators to adapt
the reports produced by such a model to provide helpful feedback to students
in formative or summative assessment contexts. Kasneci et al. (2023) added that
a more accurate assessment of a student's learning obstacles and development
can be made with the aid of ChatGPT, which can assist teachers in pinpointing
the areas where learners face difficulties. As a result, it is preferable for teachers
to reduce workloads and shift their primary attention to developing innovative
lesson plans, participating in teacher professional development, and offering
coaching and mentoring support to each student individually, all of which are
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 3
essential to improve students' learning performance and can be supported by
ChatGPT.
Enhancing pedagogical practice
As there are a number of innovative features offered by ChatGPT, it is
advantageous for teachers to improve pedagogical practices by designing and
integrating interactive classroom activities. Rudolph et al. (2023) argued that
with the assistance of ChatGPT, it is possible for educators to design teaching
techniques creatively by adopting a flipped classroom approach. This method
allows students to study both in the classroom and remotely, which encourages
them to learn independently. Atlas (2023) claimed that not only could ChatGPT
assist teachers in developing their quizzes, exams, and syllabuses, but it could
also enable them to produce lesson plans, presentations, and other resources as
well as to evaluate students' work. This perhaps encourages teachers to modify
and edit these materials in more creative and engaging ways to meet students’
learning needs because they have more time to reflect and develop new
teaching techniques and activities.
The platform for interactive communication given by ChatGPT enables
teachers to establish more classroom engaging activities. Herft (2023) noted that
teachers could “use ChatGPT to generate visual aids, such as slides or
worksheets, that clearly outline the learning objectives and success criteria for
a lesson” (p. 2). It is worth noting that these instructional materials have a
strong likelihood of attracting students to learn and involve themselves in a
classroom learning environment. Moreover, questions and prompts generated
by ChatGPT potentially encourage students’ involvement with diverse levels
of knowledge and skills, as well as stimulate their problem-solving and critical
thinking skills (Kasneci et al., 2023), which is pivotal for 21st century education.
It is convinced that this emerging AI tool plays an essential role in promoting
classroom interaction.
Offering virtual personal tutoring
Unlike traditional tutoring methods, ChatGPT is a potential tool that can be
used as an ideal personal tutor for students. Mhlanga (2023) and Qadir (2022)
stated that students could receive feedback and individual answers by asking
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 4
ChatGPT that can offer intellectual tutoring services virtually. In this sense, it is
convenient for students to ask ChatGPT to assist them anytime they need with
their homework, assignments, projects, and even math exercises. This approach
may empower students to become autonomous and self-directed learners.
Similarly, ChatGPT is capable of discussing a variety of topics in addition to
responding to students' queries (Baidoo-Anu & Ansah, 2023). However, to gain
the most of ChatGPT's assistance, it is crucial for educational institutions to
develop concrete guidelines and introduce them to students so that they are
explicitly aware of how to use it efficiently and responsibly.
Creating an outline
Researchers can provide prompts to ChatGPT and ask it to create an outline for
an article or other forms of writing. Kasneci et al. (2023) argued that it is helpful
for students to use such a model to help organize ideas for their research and
writing. In this regard, students can effortlessly suggest prompts so that
ChatGPT can generate an outline immediately. However, some of the contents
may need to be adjusted by researchers or students for the outline to be usable.
In fact, some researchers have already started using it to generate outlines for
their writing (see Qadir, 2022; Zhai, 2022). Moreover, ChatGPT can quickly
create an outline of research articles, enabling researchers to quickly and
precisely grasp the main points (Kasneci et al., 2023).
Brainstorming ideas
ChatGPT is crucial for research, particularly in helping to brainstorm ideas for
writing. Some researchers have already begun to use ChatGPT to write research
articles (see King & ChatGPT, 2023; Stokel-Walker, 2023). Zhai (2022) used
ChatGPT to generate ideas and wrote an entire paper, entitled ‘ChatGPT User
Experience: Implications for Education.’ He noted that the written paper was
just slightly edited and reorganized by him. It was concluded that “ChatGPT
has shown a powerful ability to organize and draft components of articles”
(Zhai, 2022, p. 9). Thus, there is no doubt that this newly developed AI-
generated tool has a significant capacity to help researchers brainstorm ideas
for research articles, although it is vital that researchers should adjust and verify
the ideas generated by ChatGPT to avoid mistakes or misleading information
(Gordijn & Have, 2023; Mogali, 2023).
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 5
Risks of ChatGPT
Academic integrity issues
Despite the myriad of advantages in the educational landscape, ChatGPT also
tends to present some notable risks. Due to the capability of ChatGPT in
generating outputs based on various prompts submitted by users (e.g.,
students), it could be unethically utilized, that is, its use may be against the
standard of academic integrity. It may lead to a case of plagiarism when AI is
leveraged to produce a response or article unless its use is declared (Kleebayoon
& Wiwanitkit, 2023) or the sources are properly cited (Thurzo et al., 2023). If
students fail to cite the sources produced by chatbots in their assignments, it
could result in academic misconduct and dishonesty detrimental to their
academic success in the long run.
Unfair learning assessment
With the emergence of AI-generated tools like ChatGPT, assessment of
students’ work might be of concern as ChatGPT use possibly brings about
biased evaluation. To date, researchers have argued that the textual outputs
produced by ChatGPT and humans could be challenging to distinguish (Cotton
et al., 2023; Else, 2023; Shiri, 2023). Mhlanga (2023) contended that in light of
ChatGPT’s ability to generate appropriate essays quickly, teachers were
concerned about the possibility of students utilizing it to outsource their
assignments. Due to this, the students who use this advanced application to
generate their assignments, homework, or projects are more likely to achieve
higher scores than those of their peers. Notably, a study on “Analyzing Early
Reactions to the Innovative AI Chatbot on Twitter” by Taecharungroj (2023, p.
6) noted that “one user reported students using ChatGPT to write a school essay
and then taking credit for the resulting A+ grade, while another found that
ChatGPT passed a practice bar exam with a score of 70% (35/50).” It is plausible
that this could negatively impact students’ emotion and the status of
educational institutions and thereby should be considered to avoid biased
evaluation.
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 6
Inaccurate information
Given the fundamental limitations of ChatGPT, both students and teachers
might experience the risk of using misleading information produced by this
innovative application. Many researchers pointed out that information
generated by ChatGPT is feasible to show the factual errors (Baidoo-Anu &
Ansah, 2023; Gordijn & Have, 2023; Qadir, 2022; van Dis et al., 2023). Some
examples of these errors include inventing articles that have not existed and
producing inaccurate responses (Baidoo-Anu & Ansah, 2023). This might cause
harmful effects on students or teachers when they use this information for work
that may lead to misunderstanding. Qadir (2022) posited that false information
could be made by using ChatGPT due to several reasons, including the prompts
or inputs suggested by users, the caliber of the training data, and the
application’s limitations. In this sense, it is imperative that teachers and
students critically analyze the answers produced by such an intelligent AI-
generated application to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of
ChatGPT.
Over-reliance on AI
Over-reliance on AI may be an issue. Given the convenience of using ChatGPT,
students, especially those who work on last-minute assignments, may use this
tool as a means to create their work entirely without using their analytical
thinking and decision-making skills. Using ChatGPT has been argued to have
a harmful impact on students' development of essential skills, including critical
thinking skills (Kasneci et al., 2023; Mhlanga, 2023; Shiri, 2023), problem-
solving skills (Kasneci et al., 2023), and imagination as well as research abilities
(Shiri, 2023). As these skills play a pivotal role in students’ academic and
professional success, using ChatGPT may lead to a number of other negative
consequences on students, such as a lack of innovation and poor decision-
making abilities.
Conclusion and recommendations
In the preliminary stage of using ChatGPT, it can be concluded that this
sophisticated generative AI tool has a high possibility of being beneficial for
students, educators, and researchers. These include developing formative and
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 7
summative evaluation, enhancing pedagogical practices, supporting
personalized online learning or tutoring, generating academic outlines, and
brainstorming ideas for articles or essays. However, it is imperative to bear in
mind that such a transformative AI tool is not without its shortcomings which
include the risk of academic integrity, biased learning evaluation, factual
inaccuracies, and over-reliance on AI that can result in limited development of
important life skills. As a result, these issues should be addressed to allow for
effective use of this AI tool for education and research.
Considering the risks of ChatGPT use, some recommendations are necessary.
First, although some educational institutions have blocked ChatGPT, this
leading emerging AI tool should be considered in education and research.
Students, teachers, and researchers should be encouraged to explore the use of
ChatGPT to gain maximum benefits from it. However, close attention should
be paid to guarantee inclusive, equitable, transparent, and ethical use of
ChatGPT.
Second, in terms of using this tool to assess students’ work, it is pivotal for
educational policymakers, educational leaders, and teachers to work closely in
order to revise the assessment standards to prevent unfair learning evaluation.
In this respect, Cotton et al. (2023) have suggested that the emerging assessment
should demand students to use their analytical, critical, communicative, and
problem-solving abilities. Moreover, it is advised to consider applying
formative assessment more than the summative one by designing engaging
activities which require students to debate, discuss in groups, conduct
presentations, and work as a team (Cotton et al., 2023). Furthermore, it is
essential that students prepare academic reports that include citations,
references, and a specific context if a final report is employed as the primary
assessment.
Third, it is essential for educational institutions to develop training contents
and deliver them to both teachers and students to use ChatGPT productively
while maintaining accountability and ethics to uphold academic integrity. This
means that instead of banning the use of ChatGPT, there should be training or
guidance on how to effectively use this AI tool for education and research
purposes.
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 8
Fourth, in order for schools and universities to enhance the quality of
education, action research should be conducted to further examine the
effectiveness and efficiency of integrating this intelligent application in
education. Likewise, funding for research into the use of AI tools like ChatGPT
for education and research should be made more available so that researchers
may be able to examine how to take maximum advantage of ChatGPT for
educational purposes.
Fifth, while receiving various assistance from ChatGPT, it is advisable that
students should be vigilant. It is perhaps beneficial for students to check,
analyze, and edit responses generated by this AI application to ensure its
accuracy. At the starting point, students should get familiar with the
application's strengths and drawbacks while keeping in mind academic
integrity guidelines and the repercussions of academic dishonesty (Rudolph et
al., 2023).
Finally, it is suggested that researchers should start utilizing ChatGPT in order
to better understand its advantages and flaws for academic purposes. It is
essential to just use this tool for brainstorming and outlining, not to produce
entire research articles, in order to prevent intentional or unintentional
academic misconduct. That said, when using this tool for generating ideas, it is
vital to ensure that all the information generated is accurate by checking and
editing it, as well as requesting additional responses through follow-up
prompts. Otherwise, the use of ChatGPT may be a curse rather than a blessing.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the editors and anonymous reviewers of the
Cambodian Journal of Educational Research for the editorial support and helpful
comments on an earlier version of this article.
Conflict of interest
None.
© Cambodian Journal of Educational Research 9
The authors
Sarin Sok is currently a Chevening scholar pursuing a Master of Education at
the University of Huddersfield, the United Kingdom. Prior to this, he
completed a Master of Education at the University of Cambodia and worked in
the educational and corporate sectors. His research interests center on
technology-enhanced learning, learning organization, mentoring and coaching,
and educational leadership.
Kimkong Heng, PhD, is a Lecturer at the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia.
He is also a Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Cambodian Education
Forum, a National Technical Advisor at the Department of Scientific Research,
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia, and a Visiting Senior
Research Fellow at the Cambodia Development Center. His research interests
include TESOL, research engagement, academic publishing, and higher
education.
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