A philosophical inquiry into knowledge and originality to investigate the prevailing criticism of ChatGPT et al.

Abstract The rapid advancement of Conversational AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked polarized debates in academia, particularly around issues of plagiarism, ownership, and bias. Unexamined misconceptions may hinder the effective integration of Conversational AI tools, limiting their potential to stimulate interactive and convergent learning experiences. This study investigates prevailing criticisms by infusing insights from theories of Mimesis from Greek philosophy, Value Creation from Economics, and Deconstruction from Western philosophy to provide a well-rounded perspective. Utilizing qualitative thematic coding, this review analysed 40 ChatGPT-related articles selected from an initial pool of 302 articles sourced from Scopus and Web of Science using a Boolean search. The PRISMA flowchart was employed to ensure transparency and rigor in the screening process. The review also integrated 14 theoretical and 10 methodology-focused studies. The findings revealed that: (i) nothing in the world is truly original except for Nature itself and knowledge derives from imitation and shared understanding; (ii) creation involves adaptation and transformation in response to user or contextual demands; and (iii) truth is multiple and resists rigid binary notions of right and wrong; which suggest that attributing blame to Conversational AI for plagiarism, ownership, or bias is unjustified. Conversational AI, when used with clear guidelines and thoughtful pedagogical strategies, can foster creativity through collaboration, enhance opportunities by synthesizing raw information, and elicit intellectual engagement by offering non-binary truths. The findings will help students, educators, and administrators cross-check the criticisms of Conversational AI tools and reshape attitudes to embrace their functional adaptability to enhance knowledge dissemination.