Discussing ChatGPT’s implications for industry and higher education: The case for transdisciplinarity and digital humanities

Abstract

This comment builds on the example of chat generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) to discuss the implications of generative AI on industry and higher education, underlining the need for more transdisciplinary digital literacy education. The release of ChatGPT has generated significant academic and professional interest and instigated a vibrant discussion on the opportunities offered and challenges posed by powerful and readily accessible generative AI reshaping teaching and learning at universities. ChatGPT has reignited an age-old debate on the impact of disruptive technologies on occupations and the labor market, but recent discussions have paid little attention to how university offerings may need to adapt. We strive to open this discussion arguing that while recent GPT technology has, indeed, made more conceivable the substitution of many tasks of white-collar and knowledge workers, and suggested an acceleration of the labor market shift towards technology-centric occupations, it has simultaneously made a stronger-than-ever case for transdisciplinary competences. Consequently, we emphasize the need to foster more transdisciplinary digital literacy in universities with curricula that provide breadth of knowledge and flexibility of mind, bridging humanities with STEM disciplines. Digital humanities education is in a unique position to promote the responsible use of generative AI, while encouraging critical reflection on its socio-cultural embeddedness.