Ferris State Enrolls AI-Powered Virtual Students to Interact with Humans, Raising Questions
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Ferris State University enrolled two AI-powered virtual students, Ann and Fry, in hybrid courses to interact with human students. This is similar to non-player characters (NPCs) in video games.
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Virtual students could provide a sense of social presence and community for human students in online courses, combatting Zoom fatigue.
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However, virtual students also raise ethical concerns around surveillance, spreading misinformation, and reporting of misconduct.
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It's an extreme form of gamification and could negatively impact social presence if students feel "catfished."
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More research is needed on the student and faculty experience with virtual classmates before wide adoption.