Universities test AI as debate aid for controversial topics
Some 3,000 students from 30 colleges and universities are testing a tool designed to aid classroom-style debates about controversial topics, such as racism, immigration and Israel, The Verge reported this week.
The software, called Sway, matches students with opposing views to discuss difficult topics and then attempts to facilitate conversation. Some of the universities involved in testing the software, according to the tool’s website, include UCLA, Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon and Georgia State.
The technology, which uses artificial intelligence, was co-created by Simon Cullen, who developed a course at Carnegie Mellon called Dangerous Ideas in Science and Society. The tool acts as a mediator that attempts to ensure both people involved in the conversation are heard and keep the discussion on track by deescalating when things get tense or helping with phrasing when someone says something that isn’t constructive.
“Over half of American college students are afraid to discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict on campus,” the tool’s website reads. “Other important issues like abortion, gun control, and affirmative action aren’t that far behind. Clearly, campuses need more respectful, scaffolded environments where students can practice constructive disagreement, honing skills like intellectual humility, cognitive empathy, and critical thinking.”
“Our long-term aim is to empower millions of college students to cultivate essential intellectual virtues: humility, cognitive empathy, critical thinking, and the ability to engage productively across differences,” the website continues.
