Master’s Thesis: Talk to the AI - The Next Frontier in Work Performance - A Case Study

Abstract

This master’s thesis investigates the potential of conversational Generative Artificial Intelligence (cGAI) on the creative process. Centring on the widely adopted large language model, chatGPT, the study establishes a conceptual framework derived from the CPS and Geneplore model (Finke et al., 1996; Osborn, 1963), enclosing the main constructs of the creative process scrutinised in a cGAI-enhanced environment. The study posits three primary areas where cGAI can significantly impact creativity: (1) divergent thinking, (2) context awareness, and (3) real-time support and feedback. The qualitative research design includes expert interviews from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, offering comprehensive insights into the implementation and perception of cGAI in creative tasks. Two cases, scholarly domain (SD) and economic sector (ES), have been established to assess findings through cross-examination. Key findings suggest that cGAI can significantly enhance divergent thinking by promoting randomness, generating novel ideas, and verifying information. It was also recognised for improving context awareness through task automation and as an intellectual facilitator. For real-time support and feedback, while cGAI was perceived as having high proficiency in promoting efficiency and continuous learning, concerns were raised about uncritical affirmations and the potential for incorrect information. The study highlights the importance of effective human-AI collaboration for optimising these benefits and the need for further advancements in AI systems to overcome identified limitations. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI); Creativity; Human-Computer Interaction; Natural Language Processing (NLP); Machine Learning; Workplace Efficiency; Cognitive Augmentation

The new Turing machine, but the world is chasing after it like a space race.

Quantum computing represents the new frontier of computational evolution. Experts claim that in less than 15 years quantum computers will be able to process at a speed that would surpass by far the compound computation power of all currently existent hardware (IBM, 2020). Things that we would once have said unimaginable are becoming part of our reality. Achieving quantum supremacy is one of the monumental discoveries that will revolutionize history. Unsurprisingly, the world's biggest economic forces and multinational enterprises are extensively investing in this technology, similar to how humankind acted around five decades ago with the space race. In the US, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy initiated a $1 billion investment plan for the coming 5 years (Department Of Energy, 2020). In China, the government invested $10 billion in quantum research facilities in Hefei (IDQuantique, 2018) since 2014 and recently Google claimed to plan a “several billion” spending for a fully-capable quantum computer by 2029. (Castellanos, 2021)

Although, this technology brings uncertainties along with it, one important being the compromising of today's cybersecurity. This is why the debate on their implications for network security and the threat that quantum computers will sooner or later break the security protocols with which our data are transmitted and stored are under particular spotlight. Consequently, it is difficult to evaluate the threat-benefit ratio for this specific invention. This essay will therefore further investigate four topics that are worth mentioning. First, it will give a short introduction on the point we reached in the quantum computing advancements. Secondly, it will examine why it represents a shift to current cybersecurity protocols. Thirdly, it will analyze the impact it could have on industries with a closer look at the sustainability aspect. Fourthly, it will investigate the most fitting business model for quantum technology and deliver an explanation on what aspects can give valuable insights on future leading 2 potentials in the sector. Lastly, this paper will conclude with practical recommendations on an entrepreneurial level

Examining the impact of the adoption of blockchain technology in universities

Blockchain is the emerging technology of a new computer wave, much like PCs and wireless routers were in the 1990s and 2000s, and mobile phones were in the previous decade. There is plenty of space for creativity, and researchers anticipate the emergence of numerous winners (Andreessen Horowitz, 2022).

However, its effectiveness has been discovered only in recent times. Yet, research conducted on this infrastructure set up in 2008 by the unknown individual who identified himself as Satoshi Nakamoto has shown that blockchain technology offers a new set of tools for the security of information transfer (Taylor et al., 2020).

This study proposal will investigate the impact of adopting BC (blockchain) technology to improve the educational sector by focusing on the use-cases of smart contracts, mathematically verifiable programs that run on blockchain technology when imposed set of conditions are met (Mohanta et al., 2018). In research conducted by Catalini & Gans (2020), smart contracts offer a better alternative to contract enforcement uncertainty (i.e., human error). With this relatively new toolkit, businesses have implemented the technology in their supply chain, solving problems like inconsistent tracking updates and temperature levels in the food industry example proposed by Duan et al. (2020). Its implementation is vast and comprehends sectors like healthcare, energy management, and the Internet of Things (Zarrin et al., 2021). Such technological application of smart contracts currently focuses on notarization purposes (Chowdhury et al., 2018). BC notarization techniques increasingly show a new method to overcome centralized network issues. On this account, a blockchain operates on a decentralized network in which every node pursues the task of verifying the transferred information. In addition, this structure enables every connected entity to access the information transfers in an encrypted manner. The technology stores information in blocks on which new information is continuously added using complex mathematical encryption methods, making the data impossible to tamper with. (al Ahmed et al., 2022)

One might think that blockchain technology only has positive toolkits to offer. Although, with such great innovation, some factors inhibit a successful and risk-free adoption of BC. In the first place, the lack of blockchain expertise in current times shows that knowledge in the sector is scarce and can be an essential constraint for finding the right experts to contact for such assignments (Brown, 2021). Furthermore, data regulations, especially in the EU area, are increasingly stricter, and in the field of blockchain, it is even nonexistent to a certain extent (Al-Zaben et al., 2018; Finck, 2019). Lastly, only a minority of companies today successfully implemented blockchain technology for daily business processes, which can contribute to the reluctance of an institution to adopt such an alternative when current data management systems are more popular and common.

This research proposal aims to address a gap in the current literature by offering a way to investigate the enablers and inhibitors of a successful BC implementation in the educational sector. Hence, this study proposal tries to answer the following two central questions:

I. Does blockchain technology represent a better alternative to current data management tools for educational institutions?

II. Does the present standpoint of the blockchain “know-how” inhibit a successful adoption of blockchain technology?

The aspects mentioned above on how BC functions are crucial to introduce the reader to the following sections: first, the paper offers a literature review on what we know about BC today. Second, I will investigate how this study can fill the literature gap in BC implementation. Third, this essay will provide a complete overview of which aspects enable and inhibit the adoption of BC technology in education. Fourth, I will suggest a method to review and analyze the readiness of such adoption in universities through a survey with a respective questionnaire that deals with the research hypotheses in earlier sections. Lastly, I will summarize the main concepts and expose which aspects are valuable for future research in the sector.