Artificial intelligence Is Changing the Way We Study: VU Students Share Their Experiences with Lecturers’ AI Assistants

The Faculty of Law of Vilnius University (VU) has redefined what learning in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) could look like by introducing the innovation of AI knowledge twins to its courses. The impact of lecturers using digital twins and the students’ positive feedback have encouraged VU to expand the use of these innovative teaching tools in the study process.

While delivering an intensive course on data protection law in the spring semester of 2024, lecturers at the VU Faculty of Law, Dr Paulius Jurčys and PhD student Goda Strikaitė-Latušinskaja harnessed state-of-the-art AI technologies by integrating their AI knowledge avatars “Paul AI” and “Goda AI” into the teaching process.

“The idea of creating our own AI knowledge avatars has been in the pipeline for some time. With the unexpectedly rapid technological advances this year, we decided to add an innovative twist to the learning experience. Although we had to prepare very intensively for this year’s course, rethinking everything – from the way we present information to what the exam tasks should be, at the end of the semester, it seems that this project has been a great success, both from our personal perspective and according to the students’ opinions”, says G. Strikaitė-Latušinskaja.

An exceptional experience for students

VU students who took the course on data protection law were very positive about the innovations presented by the lecturers. They emphasised that this was an exceptional experience that not only increased their knowledge of the law but also boosted their self-confidence.

“It was a really unusual experience. I have never come across a curriculum during my international studies that is delivered in a way where AI and teachers work hand in hand. I’m quite technology-savvy, but I’ve never encountered personal AI avatars that mimic a real-life person,” says student Siddhartha Mishra.

An AI knowledge avatar is effectively the “digital twin” of a teacher. The knowledge bases of AI twins consist of the accumulated knowledge, research, scientific publications, and lecture material of Dr P. Jurčys and PhD candidate G. Strikaitė-Latušinskaja respectively. From a practical perspective, the AI knowledge twin provides the possibility to seek information and engage in dialogue with the lecturer’s knowledge. S. Mishra noted that when he started to use this technology, he found that “AI assistants had their own thought process”. While interacting with them, it was as if the lecturers themselves were actually answering the questions.

“When answering the questions posed, the AI avatars were quite clear. Sometimes, “Paul AI” took a rather different approach to a problem compared to “Goda AI” – their answers were similar to those you would get from the lecturers in real life. We used this to prepare for lectures and exams by constantly asking them what they thought about a particular problem and how they would solve it," shares a student.

María Ignacia Borgoño Serrano, another student on the course, admitted that she often worries that she might not remember everything from lectures; she shared her concerns that she might misunderstand the information or write it down incorrectly. However, she says that using the avatars “Paul AI” and “Goda AI” took away this anxiety, as she knew that if she had missed anything, she could check with the digital twins later. This allowed her to enjoy the lectures.

“Interacting with A I knowledge twins gives you the same confidence as checking in with a classmate before asking a question,” explains M.Ignacia Borgoño Serrano.

Group assignments have revealed the greatest benefits of AI

During the lectures, students were given the task of splitting into groups, selecting the topics they wanted to cover on data use, researching a specific problem, preparing a report, and presenting the solutions to their chosen problem. Students were encouraged to use any AI tools of their choice, so they were not limited to just using their lecturers’ knowledge avatars.

According to M.Ignacia Borgoño Serrano, it was the group project that revealed the greatest advantage of AI tools. While working with her peers on the project, her group came up with numerous ideas, had fruitful discussions, and advised each other. The student says that thanks to AI, they were free to spend more time developing their idea because they knew that the technical part – creating the document in which they would present their idea – could be done using AI tools.

“This course developed our creative and critical thinking, as we were able to complete tedious tasks faster with the help of AI assistants. We used the time purposefully, focusing on the creative aspects of the task. Using technology to your advantage is a skill, so it is essential for universities to teach their students how to use it properly to stay ahead of the curve in their respective fields and represent the quality of their university education,” says the student.

However, according to María Ignacia, when comparing the AI avatars used in the lectures with "ChatGPT", "Pi", or "Perplexity", it must be acknowledged that there is still room for improvement. For example, it would be useful to extend the number of characters in the query, as currently, there is a limit of four lines; it would also be good to highlight the most important points with a different font.

“However, I can say that integrating “Paul AI” and “Goda AI” into our learning process has made a lot of sense. I am extremely grateful for this innovative approach to learning, and I think it is a significant step forward in showing how technology can enhance the learning experience. The skills and insights I have gained from using these AI tools have definitely prepared me for future professional challenges and have given me the ability to adapt and become more knowledgeable in my field,” says the student.

S. Mishra also agrees that AI should be integrated into the curriculum: “I have witnessed a great integration of artificial intelligence, especially forms of personal artificial intelligence modelled on professors, scientists, and academic writers. This allows students not only to interact with these AI tools after lectures, or when they get stuck on a problem but also to have a helper to support them throughout their academic journey. Overall, I enjoy using AI tools and hope that more courses will follow the same path.”

Future perspectives for AI knowledge avatars in education

The use of AI knowledge avatars by VU lecturers and the positive feedback from students highlighted the need for further dialogue on the implementation of AI in education. According to the Pro-Rector for Studies, Assoc. Prof. Valdas Jaskūnas, processes are already underway at the University.

“We have already started to organise the dissemination of this initiative at the University so that we can offer lecturers, especially those who teach in English (as so far digital assistants/avatars work much more smoothly in the English-speaking environment), to create digital twins to advise students. The first such information presentation took place at the end of June 2024”, says the Pro-Rector for Studies.

According to Dr P. Jurčys, one of the co-authors of the innovation, it has shown that AI can be a meaningful tool to improve the educational experience, providing students with personalised support and feedback 24/7. By incorporating their personal avatars of AI knowledge into the learning process, lecturers can augment and transcend their own abilities, and create a more dynamic and interactive learning environment that aligns with the expectations of today’s technologically empowered students.

PhD candidate G. Strikaitė-Latušinskaja also points out that “the personal knowledge twins of AI have opened up new opportunities for teaching and learning. I was pleasantly surprised at how integrating AI avatars into the teaching process enriched the teaching and learning experience: by using them, we ensured a fun and engaging learning process, had more sophisticated discussions, and were more in tune with the needs of today’s students.”