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Vulnerabilities in assignment requirements: the assignment does not require visualizations

On this page, you will read about vulnerabilities in assignment requirements (in relation to AI) that can often be fixed. You will also find information on solutions and detailed examples. There are explanations of four specific vulnerabilities, each of which is detailed on a separate page.

By clicking on the links you can view the other pages or go back to the page on written assignment without supervision.

The assignment does not require course-specific knowledge
The assignment does not require higher-level skills
The assignment does not require students to engage with discipline-specific literature
The assignment does not require visualizations

GenAI’s capabilities to read and generate visualizations is evolving rapidly, and the newest tools, such as the paid version of ChatGPT, can now process text and images together. While genAI is currently good at reading text from input images and processing that further, the opposite is not true. That is, genAI is currently not good at producing images that include text (such as a conceptual graph or a mind map). Therefore, teachers could ask students to visualize their results in such a way, which requires more reflection and creativity. Do note, however, that genAI can still help students with such a task by using text to describe the visualization.

Example: using visualization in assignment output

Assignment instructions
Draw on the theories discussed in this course to argue why or why not journalism is an autopoietic system. Instead of writing an essay-like answer, visualize your argumentation.

Analysis
While the output produced by ChatGPT (free version using GPT3.5) seems sophisticated, there are several fundamental flaws. Most importantly, it does not refer to relevant theories or authors (e.g., systems theory, Luhmann). Moreover, ChatGPT ultimately doesn’t answer the question of whether journalism can be considered an autopoietic system or not. To be fair, the description for the visualization ChatGPT suggests is a good starting point for this complex assignment, but the assignment requires more input from students in terms of reflection and creativity.

Student

Draw on the theories discussed in this course to argue why or why not journalism is an autopoietic system. Instead of writing an essay-like answer, visualize your argumentation.

ChatGPT

Unfortunately, I can’t create visual content like drawings or charts directly here, but I can describe how you could visualize the argumentation to examine whether or not journalism is an autopoietic system based on theories often discussed in communications, media studies, and sociology courses.

Visualization Guide:

1. Central Circle: Label this “Journalism”
2. Two Arrows stemming from the circle, one pointing outward and labeled “Interaction with Environment” and another pointing inward labeled “Self-Regulation.”
3. Two Secondary Circles: One to represent “Environment” (external influences like politics, culture, etc.) and the other to represent “Elements of Journalism” (internal components like reporting, ethics, editorial processes, etc.)
4. Flowchart Arrows:
a. From “Environment” to “Journalism” with the label “External Influence”
b. From “Elements of Journalism” to “Journalism” with the label “Internal Regulation”
5. Color-coded Thought Bubbles:
a. Green thought bubbles for arguments in favor of journalism as an autopoietic system
b. Red thought bubbles for arguments against it

Arguments in Green Thought Bubbles:

1. Self-Producing: Journalism constantly reinvents its methods, techniques, and ethics to adapt to changing circumstances.
2. Operational Closure: Journalistic norms and ethics form a self-referential system, focusing on the aim of producing objective, fair reporting.
3. Internal Rules and Regulations: Editorial boards, ethical committees, and guidelines ensure internal regulation.
4. Feedback Loops: Journalists review their work and public feedback for constant improvement, creating a system that regulates itself.

Arguments in Red Thought Bubbles:

1. Economic Dependence: Journalism often relies on external economic factors like advertising, making it susceptible to external control.
2. Political Influence: Governments and organizations can exert influence on journalism, affecting its objectivity and operations.
3. Audience Feedback: Public opinion can drive journalism in directions that may not align with its self-regulated norms and ethics.
4. Technological Determinism: The external influence of technology changes the very core processes of journalism, like the shift from print to digital.

Through such a visualization, you can explore the complex dynamics and arguments that would help in determining whether journalism operates as an autopoietic system or not.