MY ChatGPT TEACHER. TOWARDS A METHODOLOGY FOR USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

Language is the distinctive feature separating humans from the rest of the animal world. Therefore, throughout history, inventions and technologies that changed the way we use language have been crucial turning points. These include the invention of writing, which allowed the communication across space and time, the printing press, which facilitated the rapid and widespread dissemination of knowledge, and the advent of the Internet and mobile phone technology, which resulted in an explosion of communications and faster diffusion of knowledge. The latest revolutionary innovation in the field of language processing is ChatGPT, a generative AI model launched by OpenAI in November 2022, which produced spectacular results in natural language processing (NLP). It appears to be one of the most significant milestones in this field and has the potential to produce major changes in numerous domains, particularly in education. Starting from the available literature and from several experiments with ChatGPT, this paper outlines the main methodological requirements for using this instrument as an aid for self-directed learners.