Abstract:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already part of our reality and continues to integrate into society, including universities. Students who are starting their university careers have grown up in a digital world and are open to experimenting and using AI in their daily lives. Professors must take this new reality into account and incorporate AI into their teaching methods. This paper presents a pilot experience.

Among the AI tools we find those known as language generating models, and among the best known is ChatGPT. This research aims to evaluate the potential impact that the use of ChatGPT has on the teaching of the subject “Materials for Design”, belonging to the Degree in Architectural Interior Design of the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), and what it may have on the performance of the future profession.

One of the tasks to be carried out in the subject throughout the course consists of the justified choice of building materials to be used in the different applications of an interior space. This choice is made by the students based on their technical knowledge of the subject, and the aesthetic criteria they deem appropriate to achieve a certain image. This will be a very important part of their professional work.

Once they have finished this phase of the work, they are asked to interact with ChatGPT to, with its help, also choose another option for the materials of this same interior space. In this phase they realize the complexity or the possibility of truly taking advantage of these tools. Subsequently, through a survey that contains various questions, the students' impressions of the experience are analyzed. The most important conclusions are that to take advantage of these types of tools, one must previously have in-depth knowledge of the subject, and also have a certain skill in the use of AI. That is when AI can really improve the result obtained with human reasoning.

Keywords:

Building Materials, AI in Education, Interior Architectural Design Education, Building Materials Selection, AI Integration in Teaching.