The college dean who used ChatGPT to write an email about the MSU shooting said she loved to write
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A Vanderbilt University dean who used artificial intelligence to write an email to students about the Michigan State University mass shooting previously claimed she loved to write and “wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Nicole Joseph signed the email to the students on February 16 reminding them to “look out for each other” after the tragedy.
While the email was friendly and offered ways for students to help foster a supportive environment with their peers, deep down, there was outrage when it was revealed that it was not written by a human being.
However, in December, Joseph shared a smiling selfie on Facebook with a post about his love of writing.
Joseph and another dean, Hasina Mohyuddin, temporarily resigned while Peabody’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion “reviews” the situation, Peabody Dean of Education Camilla P. Benbow said in a statement.
Vanderbilt University Dean Nicole Joseph, who used ChatGPT to write an email to students about the MSU mass shooting, previously posted about how much she enjoyed writing.
Joseph shared a selfie on Facebook in December with a post about loving what he does: writing.
The two deans who signed the email, Nicole Joseph (left) and Hasina Mohyuddin (right), have temporarily resigned while Peabody’s EDI office “reviews” the situation. Joseph sent a follow-up email to the students the next day to apologize for the “poor judgement.”
On December 17, 2022, Joseph wrote: ‘Are you okay this morning? I’m trying to get excited to face everything I have to write today. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It matters when you LOVE what you do. #facultylife’
The post came to light after it was revealed that the dean signed an email written by AI.
Vanderbilt University has since apologized for using artificial intelligence to write a 297-word email to students after the MSU shooting.
The long letter was signed by two deans: Joseph and Mohyuddin. But the line at the bottom of the letter caused outrage among the students.
‘Paraphrasing of OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, Feb 15, 2023,’ it read.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence software that is capable of producing large amounts of text by giving the writing suggestions generator, where it pulls from tens of thousands of data sets to produce written content.
The email caused outrage among students, including Laith Kayat, who is from Michigan and has a sister who attends MSU.
On February 16, Vanderbilt’s Peabody Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion sent students an email reminding them to “look out for each other” after the MSU shooting.
Although the email came across as kind and loving, it revealed at the bottom that it was not written by a human being. ‘Paraphrasing of OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, Feb 15, 2023,’ it read.
“There’s a sick, twisted irony in making a computer write its message about community and togetherness because it can’t be bothered to reflect on it,” he told the Vanderbilt Hustlerthe student newspaper.
Laith Kayat, a Vanderbilt senior whose sister also attends MSU, said using ChatGPT to write a confidential note was “disgusting.”
‘[Administrators] they only care about perception and their face-saving institutional policy,’ he continued. ‘Deans, provosts and the chancellor: do more. Do nothing. And lead us to a better future with genuine human empathy, not a robot.’
Samuel Lu, a second-year student, told the student newspaper: ‘It’s hard to take a message seriously when I know the sender didn’t even take the time to put their genuine thoughts and feelings into words. In times of tragedies like this, we need more humanity, not less.’
Benbow claimed that the “development and distribution” of the email “did not follow Peabody’s normal processes”, neither she nor other university administrators were aware of the email “before it was sent”.
Benbow insisted that she remains “personally saddened by the loss of life and injuries at Michigan State” and that she was “deeply concerned that a communication from my administration overlooked the crucial need for personal connection and empathy during a time of tragedy.”
Joseph, before temporarily resigning, sent a follow-up email to the students on February 17, apologizing to the students for the office’s “poor judgment” in using AI to write the email.
“While we believe in the message of inclusion expressed in the email, using ChatGPT to generate communications on behalf of our community at a time of grief and in response to tragedy runs counter to the values that characterize Peabody College,” their email read. , according to BuzzFeed News.
“As with all new technologies impacting higher education, this moment provides an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what we know and what we still need to learn about AI.”
Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, killed three students on February 13 at MSU before killing himself.
Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, killed three students on February 13 at MSU before turning the gun on himself
He terrorized students for four hours on campus, killing Brian Fraser, 20, Arielle Diamond Anderson, 19, and Alexandria ‘Alex’ Verner.
Alexandria ‘Alex’ Verner, a 2020 graduate of Clawson High School, was a junior in biology and anthropology at MSU graduating in 2024.
Brian Fraser, 20, graduated from Grosse Pointe South and was studying business administration at MSU.
Flavor of Love reality show star Deelishis has revealed that his niece, 19-year-old Arielle Diamond Anderson, was the third victim.
All three were killed and five others wounded when McRae opened fire at 20:18.