Ambrose Vannier is an undergraduate researcher in the Wesleyan Assessment Lab. Ambrose works as part of a team of undergraduate researchers to assess the student experience at Wesleyan.  Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, members of the Lab gather information that informs understanding and improvements to academic and support systems. This past year, Ambrose was part of a team that assessed an important issue for colleges--Generative AI. How are Wesleyan students using AI tools to support research and writing? This interview shares a bit more about Ambrose and his work.

What is your major(s) and year of graduation?

I am a sophomore and am graduating in 2026.

What research are you involved in? What question are you trying to answer with your research? 

I am researching students' use of Generative AI at Wesleyan for the Wesleyan Assessment lab. In the spring semester, I am conducting research on students' sense of community at Wesleyan. I am doing this work with a group of other students for Rachael Barlow. During "pop up" focus groups, we go up to students and ask them about these topics and give them rewards for participating.

Why that question? What prompted this focus?

I was excited to join the team because I knew they'd be researching this topic for the fall 2023 semester. I am a computer science student, so understanding how people are reacting to and using Generative AI is really interesting since I would like to build these products in the future. I also just had a personal interest in understanding how my peers are reacting to this technology. There is so much excitement, fear, and anticipation around it that I thought it would be interesting to get a broader sense of reactions in the Wesleyan community.

Have you been involved with other research projects?

I did a six-month internship at GoHenry before joining Wesleyan where I conducted user research about the product, which was a great experience. However, this was my first time doing research in an academic context. I really like conducting one-on-one interviews with people to understand their perspectives, so I plan to do this more in the future during my time at Wesleyan.

What do you think we still need to learn about your research topic? What questions will remain for the next generation of researchers?

Generative AI is constantly undergoing change with new features/products, so we definitely need to keep track of how students are reacting to and using Generative AI. This will particularly be true as AI becomes more entrenched in society. We also need to conduct more quantitative research – so far our research has been entirely qualitative to get perspectives of how students are feeling about this technology.

What is your favorite library database or book?

I love Rise of the Robots by Martin Ford, a book that is actually quite related to AI.

What do you recommend as ways for people just starting with Generative AI to get a better understanding of it?

I recommend trying ChatGPT since it's so popular—you don't even need an account anymore. I would also stay up to date with new AI models, as they're getting more powerful and able to create more types of content; they're now creating not just text but also images, videos, 3D models, and even music.