Meet AInstein, a ChatGPT-powered robot developed by Cyprus students to harness and improve teaching experiences in classrooms
The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is finally here. After almost seven decades of usage in academic and research circles, AI is slowly making its way to the mainstream, thanks in part to the popularity of OpenAI ChatGPT.
In just a month after its launch, ChatGPT garnered over 100 million users, making it one of the most successful apps ever launch. Since its launch in November, ChatGPT has impressed many experts with its writing ability, software coding, proficiency in handling complex tasks, and its ease of use.
ChatGPT is based on the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), a type of large language model (LLM) developed by OpenAI. It is a neural network-based model that is trained to generate human-like text by predicting the next word in a sequence based on the words that come before it. ChatGPT and other generative AI tools use the LLM technique to generate text in a chat-like or conversational style.
The popularity of OpenAI ChatGPT has also led to a boom in the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and big tech companies and small startups alike are in a race to integrate it into their products. Last month, Salesforce launched EinsteinGPT, an LLM product that uses an OpenAI ChatGPT model to integrate with Salesforce’s main web app product that keeps track of how often salespeople contact leads. Instead of manually writing emails, EinsteinGPT can automatically write marketing emails.
Salesforce is one of the many tech companies integrating ChatGPT into their products. But the integration of ChatGPT is not limited to tech companies. Schools and colleges are also using ChatGPT to develop a new set of tools to improve the learning experience for students. The latest is Pascal Schools in Cyprus.
According to a report from Reuters, teachers and high school students at Pascal Schools in Cyprus have developed a prototype robot powered with ChatGPT to harness and enhance classroom teaching experiences.
Dubbed AInstein, a compact robot resembling a sculpted Michelin Man and roughly the size of a small adult was created by three Pascal Schools in Cyprus. It is powered by ChatGPT, a chatbot created by U.S. company OpenAI, with Microsoft as its supporter. The robot features a screen face that imitates human expressions with frowns and blinks.
AInstein, which currently speaks with a US accent, can tell jokes (Why was the maths book sad? Because it had too many problems), attempt to speak Greek, and advise on how Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity can be taught in class. For now, AInstein doesn’t have a favorite movie since it was “before his time”, he says. However, AInstein enjoys reading science books and spending leisure time with his violin.
In a statement, 16-year-old Richard Erkhov, who is also the lead programmer of the AI brain, said artificial intelligence was poised to improve exponentially. “It might help in a lot of spheres of life, such as education and medicine,” Erkhov told Reuters.
Another student, Vladimir Baranov, 15, said the technology was “incredible.” “It mimics human thinking, answers like humans, responds like humans. It is not yet very polished .. But it is getting there,” he explained.
Their teachers say the ultimate purpose of AInstein is to incorporate it into teaching.
“It’s a very interactive experience. Students can ask him questions, he can answer back and he can even facilitate teachers to deliver a lesson more effectively,” said tutor and project leader Elpidoforos Anastasiou.
Anastasiou showcased the integration of AI in the classroom through AInstein, which demonstrated the explanation of gravitational time dilation based on Albert Einstein’s theory of time relativity. This was achieved by moving a pendulum in relation to the gravitational field surrounding it.
According to project members, their work with AInstein has proven that AI is not something to be afraid of.