Has Artificial Intelligence Helped or Hindered Small Group Decision Making? The Influence of ChatGPT on Group Activity Success

This teaching activity was employed for the first time in the spring of 2022 in a course entitled Small Group Communication (COMM 331). During each three-hour class, students learn about a focal area linked to this topic and then are responsible for engaging in a group activity. When we had a discussion about the role of artificial intelligence on group decision making, we spoke about how AI platforms come to affect such things as creativity, ethics, leadership, power, conflict, identity, structure, and cohesion. Students then assigned themselves to one of four groups, each of which was responsible for using ChatGPT to create a new iPhone application. At the end of the activity, groups collectively shared their results and we discussed the implications of AI on group communication practices and processes.