Rich Yueh

UCR Professor Creates AI Resource Group on Campus

ilseu — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:49:08 +0000

UCR Professor Creates AI Resource Group on Campus ilseu Wed, 12/06/2023 - 15:49 More Blog Posts Imran Ghori | Inside UCR December 06, 2023

Navigating the new world of Artificial Intelligence, or AI, can be difficult for the average user. Figuring out how to best use those tools in a university setting poses even more questions.

A new Slack workspace offers UC Riverside instructors and staff members a forum to come to together to answer those questions.

Rich Yueh

Rich Yueh, an assistant professor of teaching in information systems at the School of Business, created the discussion workspace after hearing many of his colleagues raise questions about AI tools like ChatGPT.

“A lot of faculty were saying ‘We need a place to discuss with other faculty members how can we can we use AI in the classroom, where do we go for help,’” he said.

Launched this fall, the UCR AI Forum has a small group of participants — including representatives from Information Technology Solutions and the Exploration Center for Innovative Teaching and Engagement, or XCITE — but they hope more faculty and staff members will begin to use the platform.

Yueh said the forum aims to be a place where anyone on campus can learn about, discuss, and collaborate on all aspects of AI usage and research. Participants can discuss its best use, ask questions, or seek practical help on how to perform a specific task.

He’s personally found the forum helpful in a number of ways from postings by one user on the latest government news regarding AI to connecting with other partners on a project called Notebook LM, which allows users to create notes using AI for research and learning purposes.

Reactions to the use of AI range from early adopters who are actively using it to skeptics who don’t want anything to do with it, Yueh said. But he sees its use as inevitable in higher education and that it’s better to be prepared.

He noted that companies like Microsoft and Google in a few years will likely incorporate AI technology in products like Word or Google Docs.

“It’s coming one way or the other, so for a community like our campus it’s certainly something that’s going to become part of our daily lives,” Yueh said. “This helps people to navigate how to use it and prepare for it.”

Yueh began trying out AI tools last fall when they became publicly available and soon began incorporating them into his classes. He said he’s always looking for how new technology can be used in education and felt if he doesn’t allow his students to use the most advanced tools he’s doing them a disservice.

“One thing I say is AI will not take a person’s job, the person who knows how to use AI will take the job,” he said, responding to fears some voice that the technology will phase out certain professions.

The forum is open to any member of campus through their UCR Slack account. There are separate channels for faculty, staff, and students. Those interested can join at this link.

Sonal Agrawal, a second-year MBA student, is overseeing campus outreach, inviting departments, faculty members, and teaching assistants to join the workspace. As part of that outreach, Yueh or one of his research students offer a demonstration on how AI can be helpful in a user’s field. They also plan to organize workshops, seminars, and other outreach programs to education students and teaching assistants on the use of AI technology.

Part of their message will be how students can use it to enhance their learning and not for cheating, said Agrawal, who spent seven years working in the tech industry.

“We cannot stop students from using it, but we can explain an ethical way of doing it in an optimized way without destroying their critical thinking,” she said.

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Cover illustration by Getty Images

How ChatGPT Affects the Information Systems Field

ilseu — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 06:12:25 +0000

How ChatGPT Affects the Information Systems Field ilseu Sun, 04/23/2023 - 23:12 More News Laurie McLaughlin April 24, 2023

Rich Yueh, asst. professor of teaching in information systems

“We’re going to learn how to use ChatGPT, a new artificial intelligence tool that can help you better understand the class material, overcome challenges, like language and learning barriers, and yes, even give you the answers to assignments.”

Students in Rich Yueh’s winter and spring 2023 courses were not surprised to hear this in the first few weeks of class. “I’m certainly biased as an information systems professor, but I feel that if I don’t let students explore and learn how to use state-of-the-art technologies in class, I would be doing them a disservice,” says Yueh. “It’s also a fun challenge for me to redesign my courses each quarter to allow students to work harmoniously with new technologies.”

Since the release of ChatGPT to the public in November 2022, Yueh has created new assignments that require students to use ChatGPT and added class modules on how to use ChatGPT effectively and how to navigate ethics and bias issues in artificial intelligence.

Well known for his dedication to helping students stay current with technology, Yueh, assistant professor of teaching in information systems, was honored with the 2021-2022 James Merino Innovation Award, which was created and endowed by alumnus James Merino ’98 to recognize faculty bringing new ideas, methods, tools, and technology to the classroom. He is also a three-time Golden Apple winner—an award voted by students choosing the professors who best teach their subjects.

We turned to Yueh for his insight about ChatGPT and its influence on the future of information systems:

How does the emergence of ChatGPT impact work in the field of information systems?

ChatGPT upended the information systems field after its release. Google and other competitors have scrambled to release their own AI models. Leaders quickly looked for ways to incorporate ChatGPT into their organizations, and entire industries, such as education, were forced to rethink policies and procedures, including academic integrity and meaningful student assessment. We’re realizing the potential benefits—and associated downsides—of letting AI handle certain tasks.

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT for the field of information systems?

ChatGPT excels at understanding natural (human) languages and retrieving information. This means that it can understand prompts and questions in context. ChatGPT can generate entire presentation slide decks, troubleshoot complex code, act as a debate partner, and even respond to prompts from the perspective of a famous historical figure. The overall advantage is not what ChatGPT can do, but what people can do with ChatGPT.

Some disadvantages of ChatGPT are that it has a knowledge cutoff and might give incomplete answers about recent events. It is prone to inherit biases from the training data, leading to unintended consequences and ethical concerns. There are also concerns about it being a proprietary product from a for-profit corporation, and how this might affect future pricing and access.

Are any existing positions in the field of information systems at risk of being replaced by ChatGPT and future related technologies, and what kinds of positions might be created?

Low-level positions like data entry and basic programming and content generation are at risk of being replaced by ChatGPT and automation in general. On the other hand, many new types of positions will be created, and I’m following three in particular:

Human-AI collaboration experts, who can facilitate effective and growing collaboration between humans and machines
AI integration specialists, who know how to integrate AI into existing systems and corporations and bridge the gap between traditional and AI systems
AI ethicists and bias auditors, who ensure the responsible and fair use of AI and other technologies.

What is your outlook on the impact of artificial intelligence in the field of information systems in the future?

I have a positive outlook on artificial intelligence. I teach my students to think of it not as artificial intelligence, but as augmented intelligence. In the days just before ChatGPT’s release, we were using machines to augment what we could do as humans alone. After ChatGPT’s release, it’s still the same thing—we’re using and working with technologies to do what we couldn’t before.

A Modernist painting of students using laptops in the classroom, generated by DALL·E

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Read an article by Prof. Margaret Campbell about possible impacts on the field of marketing:

Chatgpt and marketing

No Shortage of Fresh Ideas

clin246 — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:03:56 +0000

No Shortage of Fresh Ideas clin246 Fri, 11/18/2022 - 14:03 More Blog Posts Laurie McLaughlin December 05, 2022

Assistant Professor of Teaching in Information Systems Rich Yueh is “literally the GOAT,” said one of his students referring to the popular acronym for “greatest of all time.” This compliment is representative of the many enthusiastic reviews of Yueh’s teaching style, and students recently voted to acknowledge him with the UCR School of Business’s 2021-2022 James Merino Innovation Award.

The award was created by James Merino, an expert in the field of data science, and annually recognizes a professor who inspires innovation and brings new ideas into the classroom, in addition to integrating teaching practices and strategies that improve students’ learning online, face-to-face, or a blend of the two.

“His methodology truly embodies the fundamental goal of education: to teach students so that they learn, understand, and remember,” wrote another student

Rich Yueh, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Information Systems

reviewing Yueh, who teaches undergraduate core course BUS 101 Information Technology Management and MBA core course MGT 205 Information Systems. “He was readily available to help with our coding, and his results-based curriculum resulted in work that I can point to and say, ‘Look, I built this.’”

Staying current, says Yueh, is paramount as a professor: “Technology is becoming a bigger part of our lives, and I update my courses every quarter to include trending technologies, mainstream concepts, and modern tools,” he says.

Yueh also looks to his own life experience to tailor his teaching. “I’m an immigrant, and my parents came to America for a better life,” he adds. “For many UCR students, this education is a chance to bring their families a higher quality of life.

“I know my course is just a small step along that path. Every student has a story to tell, and I’m invested in my students’ success because I want them to create and share their stories.”

Having previously worked at Yahoo! in the Bay Area (which, coincidentally, is also where James Merino worked at one time), students seek Yueh’s advice for landing internships and jobs. “I also use my Silicon Valley tech industry experience to help students navigate their career searches or understand how they can apply their strengths to the field,” he says.

Another student in one of Yueh’s courses said, “I have no previous experience with information systems, and he explained it in different ways for those students who are more visual than analytical.”

There’s no shortage of fresh ideas in the ever-evolving technology industry, according to Yueh, and he applies the same inventive attitude to his instructional style: “To better teach my students, I study communication and pedagogical techniques from areas and disciplines outside of academia, including Formula One teams and improvisational comedy.”

Last year, Yueh also received the School of Business’s student-voted 2020-2021 Golden Apple Award in the categories of preparation for business administration major and upper division major requirements. In 2019-2020, the students selected him for the same award in the category of graduate elective courses, and he was presented with the Outstanding Disability Ally award by the UCR Student Disability Resource Center.

Yueh is especially interested in making sure his students succeed after graduation and serves as a mentor providing guidance and tools. “My vote goes to Professor Yueh because I am using 75% of what he taught us in my current internship,” wrote another student. “That knowledge has helped me stand above the other interns.”

Prof. Rich Yueh receiving his awards in-person in November 2022

View photos of the 2022 Faculty Awards at the UCR Business AGSM Spring Banquet:

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