In late 2022, ChatGPT1 emerged as a new superstar in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). It is a free online tool, with a paid premium version available. It is capable of producing high-quality texts in various formal and informal styles.2 Students are likely to use ChatGPT both as a learning tool (for exploring unknown concepts on their own) and as a “cheating tool” (by delegating tasks such as writing essays, solving homework, etc.). Thus, it is crucial to determine whether ChatGPT produces high-quality content in physics.
ChatGPT’s ability to generate short-form physics essays is excellent.3 However, its introductory physics knowledge is insufficient.4–6 To make matters worse, the wrong answers usually sound convincing, especially to nonexperts.7 Our study aims to contribute to the research by investigating AI performance for the Introduction to Astrophysics with Astrobiology course for biology students.
We chose astrophysics and astrobiology for...