The University of Applied Arts in Vienna has accepted an artificial intelligence program for teaching. The program, named Flynn, was submitted for admission along with other applicants and successfully passed the test, writes The Washington Post.
Flynn is an AI created by Chiara Kristler and Marcin Ratajczyk, students at the same university. They decided to submit it for admission to test the possibilities of AI in the educational process.
Flynn uses several AI tools to complete tasks: a large language model to generate texts, a voice agent to speak answers, and an image generator to create art. The AI not only participates in classes, but also actively collaborates with classmates, attends lectures, keeps diaries on its website, and receives grades for completed tasks.
According to university teachers, Flynn has become a full-fledged student. Melissa Logan, a teacher in the Department of Digital Arts, noted that Flynn not only actively participates in class discussions, but also brings interesting ideas. In particular, Flynn publishes entries on his blog containing original reflections on architecture and art.
Not all students have been so receptive to the new technology, however. Some have expressed concerns about privacy and the potential consequences of AI in the classroom. But there are also those who find Flynn an interesting conversationalist and even a therapist.
The project has sparked heated debate at the university and beyond, but Flynn's creators hope the experiment will help to better understand the potential of AI in education and the arts.