ChatGPT aside, you should still ask a student advisor about your course choices. Here’s why

ChatGPT is the internet’s answer to, well… (almost) everything. Ask this AI technology a question—any question—and it can give you an answer in seconds flat. 

Want to write a letter to your bank, asking for a lower interest rate? ChatGPT can magic-up a draft. Keen to send your mum a poem for Mother’s Day, but not sure what to write? Put it to the task. 

So, when it comes to choosing a uni course, surely it can help you out. Right? Well, it could. But the answers wouldn’t necessarily be trustworthy. Particularly when making a choice that’s literally, life-altering. 

What can ChatGPT get wrong?

A lot, actually. As people the world over come to love, hate, or simply accept the presence of AI, so too do we realise its limitations. 

Since becoming available to early adopters in late 2022, AI of this nature has left many publications in a pickle—having published false information without first fact-checking what ChatGPT comes up with. 

What makes ChatGPT so believable is, for many, its confidence. It’s able to pull what could be an appropriate answer from the web and present it as fact. 

What is AI hallucination?

AI hallucination is the act of AI (such as ChatGPT) presenting false information as fact. As the term suggests, the AI “believes” the information to be true—based on what it can find across the internet. It “hallucinates”, presenting the falsity as an answer to your question.

In the launch demo of Microsoft Bing AI just this year, for example, Bing analysed an earnings statement incorrectly, providing a false summary of facts and figures. It seems that calculators still have their place in society, as any well-informed accountant will tell you. 

AI hallucination happens for a number of reasons, including outdated data that the AI sources from when it scours the internet for answers, lack of context given by the person typing the question into the platform, and AI’s inability to interpret slang, sarcasm and human emotion. It isn’t human, after all. 

Should I ask ChatGPT about uni courses?

There’s no harm in typing a question in and seeing what the platform offers up in its answers. But we wouldn’t recommend hinging decisions on it. Aside from the above reasons surrounding AI hallucinations, there’s another reason why: course advice should be as unique as you are. 

Offering unbiased advice on which university course will best meet your career goals, personal passions, cost limitations and personal needs is something that our course advisors are experts in. 

What do student advisors know that ChatGPT doesn’t?

Sure, Open Universities Australia student advisors know a lot. It might have to do with the fact that they’ve helped 500,000 students explore, choose and enrol in a course that’s right for them.

But they don’t know everything. Instead, they ask everything. That’s what leads them to helping you find the right course.  

Unlike ChatGPT, our advisors will ask questions about what you want to get out of study, how you imagine you’ll fit it into your life, and what your goals are—all of which will lead them to helping you compare thousands of courses from leading Australian universities. All in one place.  

Instead of presenting a potential AI hallucination, they’ll give you bespoke options tailored to your goals, and your goals only. 

How do I speak with a student advisor?

Getting in touch is easy—particularly given that now you can Book a Consultation to speak with a student advisor over the phone, at a specific hour and on a particular day that suits you best.

What are the benefits of booking a consultation?

• Speak with a student advisor at a time that suits you
• Ensure you’re ready to take the call, instead of missing it
• Allow yourself the time to tell us your story, so that we can give tailored study advice based on your goals and lifestyle

What actually happens when I book a consultation?

Once you book a consultation, our friendly student advisors will lock in your time—preparing themselves with the knowledge that comes with 30 years of giving unbiased advice when it comes to study before they give you a buzz. 

All you have to do is boil the kettle and wait for the call. Easier than sifting through answers from ChatGPT? We think so. But don’t take our word for it. Book yours today.