Chatbots have been the talk of the town since the release of the ChatGPT software by the operator OpenAI last November. An interactive free online course developed by Prof. Dr. Gernot Bauer and Simon Proost from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Münster University of Applied Sciences for the Germany-wide learning platform "KI-Campus" demonstrates the potential of text-based dialog systems. In "botKI", a chatbot as a teacher teaches the basics of programming. The 15-month project to implement the course was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

"Participants in the course learn about artificial intelligence with the help of an artificial intelligence," says Proost, explaining the idea behind botKI. Her offer therefore meets the requirements of the AI Campus in two respects. In 2019, the platform held an ideas competition to find proposals for the development of innovative learning opportunities in which either the subject matter or the teaching should be related to artificial intelligence (AI). The Münster UAS team's proposal impressed the jury and was one of 14 projects selected for funding from over 130 submissions. One by one, these learning opportunities developed especially for the AI Campus have now been published as "AI Campus Originals".

From smart home to Industry 4.0

In addition to programming skills, participants in the "botKI" course learn the basics of smart homes, robotics and Industry 4.0. Cooperation with Fischertechnik, the manufacturer of construction kits, plays a special role here. This is because the course uses learning models from Fischertechnik to illustrate and "touch" the content. Anyone who owns an appropriate construction kit can download the fully programmed code at the end of the course and control the models. "But this is not absolutely necessary. You can also complete the course without a fischertechnik robot," assures Bauer.

With botKI, the project team would also like to help dampen the fear of AI and demystify AI to a certain extent. "AI is not magic. In the discussion about ChatGPT, many people overlook the fact that research into chatbots has been going on for many years," emphasizes Proost. "Educational institutions often react fearfully to the current hype. However, we see chatbots as an opportunity to impart knowledge." Bauer does not believe that the position of humans is at risk. "Chatbots can support the learning process. However, they will not replace personal contact with teachers. Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool in human-computer interaction. What we make of it is up to us."

The KI-Campus - open to all

The KI-Campus is a learning platform for artificial intelligence (AI) with free online courses, videos and podcasts and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The learning opportunities labeled as "KI-Campus-Original" are implemented on a pilot basis as part of research and development projects. The AI Campus has been publicly available as a beta version since July 2020 and is being continuously developed. The offer is aimed at students, professionals and other learners who are interested in AI.

More information for interested parties.