Recipe: AI Debate
Purpose
Practicing debate is not just about winning arguments, it also helps you develop and refine skills in critical thinking, communication, research, and decision-making, all while offering alternate perspectives. These skills are important in your academic and professional career and the topic/arguments in this assignment will help you engage deeper with your course material.
AI in this Assignment
This assignment enlists generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) as the opponent in your debate. Arguments presented to AI throughout the debate should be constructed by you, as well as any reflection or discussion that takes place after the debate.
Tasks (estimated completion time: 2 hours)
Start a new chat with ChatGPT or another generative AI tool that will allow you to share your conversation.
AI Recipe
Begin with the following prompt: I am developing arguments for a topic and would like to practice debating with you. To begin with, please ask me to state three points to argue my stance on a topic and to provide at least one piece of evidence to support each point. Throughout our conversation, you will be open to my viewpoints and can accept my points of view when presented with compelling arguments. You should alternate between asking clarifying questions and providing counterarguments to my position, but it’s important we don’t stay on one topic too long. If you feel like I’ve presented a strong case with one argument, move on to the next point. Be kind and flexible in your statements.
I am an [insert role and personality (e.g., enthusiastic instructional designer)] arguing [for/against] using [topic (e.g.,artificial intelligence in higher education classrooms] and would like you to provide counterarguments in the role of [counter role and personality (e.g., concerned professor). Remember, it’s okay for you to agree with my arguments, but please keep questioning if I haven’t provided a convincing argument.
Your debate should show that you’ve successfully convinced Gen AI of your viewpoint.
When completed, click the “Share” button and paste the URL into this assignment.
Reflect on your experience. Describe the challenges in your arguments and/or limitations of your or AI’s role in the debate.
Resources
Include resources that will help students successfully complete the tasks above (e.g., texts, tools, glossary)
Submission Guidelines
You will need to share the URL of your debate with ChatGPT and a one to two paragraph reflection.
Criteria for Success
In this debate, you should have at least three main points to argue your stance.
Each argument should have at least one piece of evidence to support it.
Equally important to the debate is the reflection that takes place afterward. You will need to describe your experience, interpret any challenges, biases, or limitations, and evaluate any criteria that could have improved the debate.
Refer students to an attached rubric and/or include a description of what you consider successful work and/or relevant examples.
Recipe Variations: You can vary the prompt by specifying a different number or arguments or evidence, change the roles and characteristics, and modify topics.
Instructors should consider preparing students beforehand by discussing potential biases and limitations that may occur, while following with discussion and/or reflection after the assignment to compare experiences.
See the example out on chatgpt.com: example of someone using the above prompt in a debate.
