Professor Hu Qinghua from the School of Artificial Intelligence of Tianjin University gives a lecture on artificial intelligence at the university on Sept. 20. Photos by Xinhua
Attentive students in a leture on artificial intelligence given by Professor Hu Qinghua at the School of Artificial Intelligence of Tianjin University on Sept. 20.
In September 2024, OpenAI in the United States unveiled the o1 series, a new set of inference models, marking a new era in the development of artificial intelligence. Compared to previous generative AI models, these new inference models have made significant innovations in algorithm architecture and training data, leading to remarkable advances in complex problem-solving capabilities.
In some fields, particularly engineering, they have even surpassed the performance of human PhD students. Even more striking is the fact that this technology exhibits thinking characteristics similar to human "slow thinking," self-reflection and continuous interpretation.
Undoubtedly, these new inference models hold immense potential for the future, as they can increasingly tackle complex problems that normally require human expertise, thanks to the continuous improvement in computing power. The emergence of these new inference models has created a buzz in the industry, bringing fresh ideas to the development of artificial intelligence that will revolutionize the field.
Of course, ensuring the safety of this technology is paramount. Various countries and regions have also imposed increasingly stringent regulatory requirements on technology companies developing such technologies. At present, it is still observed that these technologies occasionally encounter some low-level bugs and the output content is not sufficiently stable. This reminds us to remain vigilant and approach these technologies with a critical, cautious and scientific attitude.
The development of such technologies also provides new opportunities for teachers of ideological and political education in universities to improve their teaching and educational skills. From a theoretical perspective, it can provide teachers with development space in four dimensions: cognition, emotion, will and action. First, it can use the technology of "thinking chain" to make a deeper analysis of things, thus helping ideological and political education teachers grasp Marxist subject theory and teaching knowledge at a deeper level.
Second, it can tailor the cultivation of teachers' moral character and the path of improving their faith according to their individual characteristics, and improve teachers' political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification.
In addition, it can help teachers to continuously solve complex problems, which is beneficial for them to continuously improve their professional skills and literacy, and establish their unwavering commitment to teaching and education.
Finally, with the integration of these new technologies and other advanced technologies, teachers can better carry out reforms and innovations in ideological and political education teaching, and receive real-time guidance and feedback, which is beneficial for them to improve the effectiveness of ideological and political education teaching.
Therefore, teachers of ideological and political education in universities should actively explore the use of these technologies so as to continuously improve their teaching and education capabilities.
Education management departments and schools can provide support in various aspects, including systems, technology, training and professional teams. Teachers should actively explore the use of these technologies to develop appropriate teaching designs, discourses, cases and resources.
Meanwhile, teachers of ideological and political education should actively participate in a variety of existing training activities with the help of this technology. In addition, it is important to be aware of the limitations and risks associated with these technologies and to take proactive measures to mitigate them.
(He Weiguang, Tang Yuxi are scholars from the School of Marxism, Shenzhen University, with Tang Yuxi as the corresponding author. This article is a phased research result of the National Social Science Fund's Higher Education Ideological and Political Course Research Special Project "Generative Artificial Intelligence Promotes Teacher Innovation and Cultivation of 'Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era'" (23VSZ035).)