The university after ChatGPT

For many years, universities functioned as the central institution of knowledge. Accessing information was difficult; resources were limited, and the number of experts was small. For this reason, lecture halls, classrooms, and podiums became the most important mechanisms for knowledge transfer in modern society. The academic would lecture, and the student would listen. Learning was largely a one-way process.

But we are now in a different era.

Today's student does not wait for their professor to access information. They watch a video on YouTube about a topic they didn't understand in class within minutes, discuss it on X or Reddit, ask artificial intelligence, and compare different sources. Systems like ChatGPT have accelerated this transformation even further. Because the issue is no longer just accessing information; it is demanding a personalized, instant, and interactive learning experience.

In fact, a very important shift is taking place here. The younger generation now prefers to engage in direct dialogue with artificial intelligence by asking questions rather than searching for information by navigating through pages on Google. Instead of getting lost among the links provided by a search engine, they ask the question in their mind as if there were a person in front of them. They expand the answer, ask for examples, have it explained again, and debate it. In other words, the behavior of searching for information is increasingly transforming from "searching" to "dialogue," and more importantly, from "passively acquiring information by listening" to "asking questions."

What I have noticed is this: This situation also reminds us of a form of learning that is older than the modern mass education model. Perhaps we are beginning to return to the interactive relationship between the philosopher-teacher and the student in classical Greece. Because learning is not just the transfer of information; it is a process of questioning, thinking, and intellectual guidance.

At this point, I would like to draw attention to this quote attributed to Pythagoras:

"A true educator is not one who fills the mind, but one who ignites the inner light."

I believe this is exactly the issue that universities need to rethink in the age of artificial intelligence. Because information is now everywhere. Moreover, the phone in a student's pocket can easily access millions of pages of data in seconds. However, the way of thinking, reasoning ability, critical approach, and capacity to produce meaning do not form on their own.

A silent fracture is occurring. While universities still largely operate with the education model of the industrial society, students are acting with the learning habits of the digital society. The problem arises exactly here.

The classical university model was based on transferring the same information to many people at the same time in the same place. This had a historical logic. Books were scarce, experts were few, and access was limited. Yet today, the phone in a student's pocket can provide content on many subjects faster than a traditional lecture. For this reason, the younger generation no longer wants to be a passive listener. They are turning toward learning styles that are shorter, more interactive, more flexible, and shaped according to their needs. These may be the reasons for the development of the continuous education model and the spread of certificate programs.

The important point here is that this transformation is not only technological but also a cultural one.

The new generation does not learn in a linear fashion. Instead of following a subject from a single source from beginning to end, page by page, they learn through fragmented, network-structured, and multiple sources. This is precisely why the Internet is characterized as "hypertext." They watch videos, read comments, ask questions to artificial intelligence, and then move on to another platform. While this situation changes attention spans, it also transforms the psychology of learning. This did not happen suddenly. We have reached this point in stages since the emergence of the Internet. As a scientist who has used EARN (European Academic Research Network) and Bitnet networks in 1989, even before the Internet age began, and who has been reading, researching, and writing academic articles on the effects of informatics and technology on the individual and society since those times, I can see this clearly.

Of course, this new model also has serious risks. These must also be stated. Rapid information consumption can often lead to a loss of depth. Artificial intelligence systems can produce incorrect information. Algorithms can trap individuals in their own intellectual comfort zones. However, despite all this, a reality that cannot be reversed has emerged: Learning behavior has changed.

For this reason, the real problem for universities has become not "delivering information," but "producing meaning" within the chaos of information.

I believe the role of the academic should be redefined today. The professor must no longer be just a person who transfers information; they must be a guide who develops the student's way of thinking, enables them to evaluate sources critically, and teaches them how to ask the right questions. Because artificial intelligence can provide answers, but humans still determine which question is important. In this context, exams—in other words, methods of measuring success—must also change.

I do not think it will be surprising to see hybrid models, modular education, project-based learning, and personalized content come to the fore more in universities in the coming years. Large lecture halls will be replaced by smaller discussion environments, practice laboratories, and digital learning networks. Competence will become as important as a diploma, and problem-solving skills will become as important as rote memorization.

For universities, the issue is no longer just about digitalization; it is about understanding the learning logic of the digital society. Because in the post-ChatGPT era, students are still looking for information. But they now want to learn that information in a different way.