There is a huge assortment of GenAI tools available to the public. Scroll down on this page to see a non-exhaustive list of some of them, selected to show the variability of tools and usages available and of the most commonly used ones in education.
For more detailed information about GenAI tools, we recommend this excellent resource created by Durham College that analyzes many GenAI tools and highlights the following:
- Recommended uses and subject areas
- Benefits, opportunities and challenges for use in teaching and learning
- Accessibility, privacy, data security and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
Written Text
The GPT model focuses on language and can be used to search for information and generate text (e.g., explanations, examples, short stories, poems, outlines, essays, codes for computer programming, lesson plans, tables comparing two things, etc.). All interactions take place in a written format. Several languages can be used.
- OpenAI website (Chat GPT) requires registration. It provides access to GPT-3.5 free of charge, and GPT-4.0 requires a subscription.
- Copilot in the sidebar in Microsoft Edge for GPT-4.0. It is freely available. To access it, download and sign into Edge and select the Copilot icon.
- Bard is Google’s version of a conversational GenAI chatbot (though not currently supported in Canada).
- You.com is another text-based search engine that functions much like ChatGPT.
Images
These models can create novel images from text prompts (e.g., think about original images for your slide deck, or cartoon illustrating a complex biological mechanism). You can ask the model to generate images that have never before been drawn or seen. You can also ask for specific styles of imagery (e.g., impressionist, graphic design, art deco, digital images).
- Bing Image Creator interface for GPT-4.0. It is freely available. To get it to draw an image, enter a prompt that asks the GenAI to create an image.
- Firefly is an Adobe product that generates images based on a text prompt. Filters allow you to quickly and intuitively modify the initial image (e.g., re-creating the same image in a different style). It’s currently free to use, but requires you to create an account and to sign in. Each user gets a set number of free images each month.
- Padlet is a visual digital discussion or message board. In addition to posting text, their own images, and links, users can post a GenAI image on any Padlet board. Educators must have an account (including the free account that limits the number of boards to three). Students do not need to have an account. Once they access a board (provided by their teachers), they start a new post (click on the + symbol) and then click on the (…) [three dots – more attachment types] . From there, they can click on the option “I can’t draw” and enter a prompt for their GenAI image. They will be provided a few options and can post that image as their post.
- Stable Diffusion is an open source image generator. It does not require any registration. However, it is very slow (you have to wait in a queue to see the results of your text prompt for a few minutes).
- DALL-E is put out by OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT) and uses the GPT-3.0 model to create images from text. It uses a credit system to limit the number of free images that users can create each month.
- Leonardo.AI is a tool that requires registration (and you can expect to be put on a waitlist when you register). Many reviews say that its capabilities are superior to other GenAI image services. It is a paid service, though there is a free plan with limited access (150 images per day).
Videos
You can use these platforms to create short, artificially generated videos. Tell the GenAI what you want via a text prompt, or give it the URL to a website, and ask it to create a short audio-visual summary. All platforms below require a registration (email address) and offer some (limited) free services.
- D-ID is the digital people platform. You enter text, choose the presenter (the way they look and their voice, including their accent and speed of speech), enter what you want them to say in a text prompt, and the platform returns a person of your choice “reading” that text.
- RunWay is another platform that creates short videos from text.
- Fliki.AI is a tool that allows you to enter a text-based prompt and the website returns a video. You can feed it a URL from your blog site, or upload your PowerPoint file, and ask the system to create a short “trailer” video to promote it.
Power Point Slides
Did you know that the GPT model can also create your slide deck? You give it a prompt and it creates all of the slides, complete with a title slides, outline, images on each slide (with references) and including the script of what the presenter should say.
- SlideGPT is free to experiment with. You can view the presentation once completed. To download it as a Power Point file, you will need to pay a small fee.
Website Design
Text prompts are modifying how people interact with apps. Rather than click on each characteristic of the product and modify it to fit their needs, users interact with a chat box and tell the software how to modify the output using conversational language.
- Studio.AI is a GenAI tool that allows users to create website and modify the design using conversational prompts rather than by modifying each feature using direct buttons and tools.
Additional Tools
If you would like to learn about additional GenAI tools, grouped by the type of output they produce, visit the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology’s AI Tools Archive.
Attributions
Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning Copyright © 2023 by Centre for Faculty Development and Teaching Innovation, Centennial College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License