ChatGPT is undoubtedly the best-known generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool, but it's far from the only one... The number of applications powered by this form of AI and accessible to the general public continues to multiply. Using algorithms and big data, this type of AI can generate original content - be it text, image, audio or video - in response to user requests.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the buzz concepts of the last few years and its growing complexity makes it sometimes hard to wrap one’s head around. In simpler terms, it's about creating programs and systems that can make decisions, solve problems, and even recognize patterns on their own, without being explicitly programmed for. AI helps computers perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, like understanding language, recognizing objects in images, playing games, use patterns and trends within vast amounts of data to make predictions, and much more. To strip it down to its main stages, AI is like making a cake: you gather ingredients, follow a recipe, mix things together, bake it, and then you watch the results unfold.
Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT has been the talk of the town... digitally speaking. Developed by American company OpenAI, this "generative pre-trained transformer (GPT)" in the form of a conversational interface is considered the most powerful of its kind. Powered by the most sophisticated form of artificial intelligence, it surprises, amazes and worries with its performance in "cognitive" tasks that until now could only be performed by a human brain. While some see it as a revolutionary technology, it is clear that its accessibility to the general public raises major issues, particularly in terms of security and ethics. Here are a few notes to help you decipher it.
Do you know the advantages of virtual reality (VR) for training professionals? Can you tell what forms the feeling of presence in this immersive environment takes? Do you know that certain technologies can be integrated into VR to enhance it? Do you have an idea of how VR can be integrated into medical training and what therapeutic purposes it can serve? Test your knowledge by answering the following five questions.
To respect the ethical principle of "never once on the patient," simulation in various forms has been an integral part of the training of healthcare professionals in North America for several decades. Virtual reality appears to be the technology of the future par excellence to ensure the acquisition of a wide range of practical and experiential learning necessary for these professionals' initial and ongoing training. Here are five points that will shed light on the potential of VR for medical education.
VR and AI Prototype: A Conversation with Newton is a fully immersive VR experience where the user can visit Isaac Newton in his recreated study room at Woolsthorpe Manor and have an unscripted conversation with him on any topic related to his life and work.
A new year is starting to unravel itself. With it, the usual listicles of trends and prognoses about the future of different aspects of our lives are beginning to be abundant. With a focus on education, and instead of going down the usual path of what 2023 could have in store for us, I decided to focus on one aspect that started to make its presence felt and which, most likely, will continue to impact the way we learn and teach. However, there's a catch to my limitation to one subject article – bear with me.
Virtual Reality (VR) is a fascinating technology that allows the user to be transported into a synthetic world they perceive as real and in which they can move and interact. The impressive potential of VR goes far beyond entertainment. As it evolves rapidly and becomes more accessible, it will stand out as a highly prized technology of the future in many fields, including medicine. It has its place as a simulation training tool and as a safe and effective therapeutic device to treat or complement the treatment of various types of health problems, including pain management. Here is where we stand in terms of applications and what we know about the effectiveness of VR for acute and chronic pain and pain anxiety.
In the immersive experience that virtual reality (VR) allows, "presence" can be defined as the authentic feeling of being in a world other than the one in which one is physically located. Even if some researchers propose nuanced versions of the notions of immersion and presence in VR, many tend to describe the first as the objective dimension of the experience, the one induced by the technological tools, and the second as its subjective dimension, the one constructed by the user.
The applications of Virtual Reality (VR) in education can create active experiences in increasingly immersive worlds and provide a safe environment for learners to test and practice situations otherwise stressful or, in some instances, dangerous. In this context and working closely with a team from Concordia's Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) unit from the Department of Education, we created a VR experience where students can prepare, in a safe and customized virtual environment, for their assessment interview with their mentor (either classroom teacher or university supervisor).
