{"id":385,"date":"2025-09-05T10:13:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T09:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/?p=385"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:51:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T09:51:50","slug":"why-is-genai-better-at-some-things-than-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/2025\/09\/05\/why-is-genai-better-at-some-things-than-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is GenAI better at some things than others?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/534\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2161298305-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Big data technology background. Motion of digital data flow. \" class=\"wp-image-386\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The \u2018jagged frontier\u2019 of GenAI&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies have found that GenAI has a \u2018jagged frontier\u2019 (Dell&#8217;Acqua et al., 2023) \u2013 that it is better at some things than others. But the nature of the so-called jagged frontier \/ jagged profile is changing as developers respond to weaknesses in the tech. The effectiveness of a response from GenAI is also very dependent on how a user frames questioning to the AI. It\u2019s now harder to get GenAI tools to exhibit their \u2018classic\u2019 weaknesses of:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Making stuff up (\u2018hallucinating\u2019) &#8211; though <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-we-tricked-ai-chatbots-into-creating-misinformation-despite-safety-measures-264184\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">problems definitely persist<\/a> due to how the tools are trained.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making errors in its approximation of \u2018reasoning\u2019.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Losing focus \/ accuracy in longer tasks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating images with impossible\/strange features &#8211; though <a href=\"https:\/\/garymarcus.substack.com\/p\/what-scaling-does-and-doesnt-buy?utm_source=publication-search#:~:text=Over%20the%20last%20few%20years%2C%20graphics%20have%20gotten%20better%20and%20better.%20World%20models%20and%20comprehension%20less%20so.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">problems definitely persist<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating bland text with formulaic or unusual phrasing (use of \u2018delve\u2019 etc).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Biases inherent in the training data (the outputs of our societies) and a tendency toward \u2018digital sycophancy\u2019 are ongoing concerns. Digital sycophancy occurs where \u2018models tend to output responses that conform to their user\u2019s views, even if incorrect\u2019 (Kwik, 2025, p. 467).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Uncertain impacts on learners&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some speculate that GenAI capabilities have \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/gpt-5-has-ai-just-plateaued-262963\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plateaued<\/a>\u2019, despite the noises coming from big tech companies, but even in their current form the impact on student capabilities and learning is still unclear. The tendency for \u2018cognitive offloading\u2019 to AI by learners is a current topic.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As limitations of these tools are patched in response to the way we use them, it\u2019s possible that use of GenAI will foster increasingly jagged profiles in our abilities. If GenAI tools can summarise, compare and critically analyse texts to a sufficient standard, will its users start to lose these skills? What new skills might be acquired or required?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s clear that most students (92%!) are using GenAI tools in some way (HEPI, 2025). Regardless of the potential affordances of GenAI, cognitive scientists agree that if we want our students to learning things well, there needs to be an element of <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-does-ai-affect-how-we-learn-a-cognitive-psychologist-explains-why-you-learn-when-the-work-is-hard-262863#:~:text=But%20what%20we%20know%20about%20learning%20tells%20us%20that%20deep%20knowledge%20and%20mastery%20of%20a%20skill%20will%20always%20require%20a%20genuine%20cognitive%20workout%20%E2%80%93%20with%20or%20without%20AI.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cognitive struggle<\/a> involved. And to improve their skills to an advanced level, learners need deliberate practice. How do we think about this in our own teaching and learning?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bite-sized task<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This task considers the need to balance skills development in students against the affordances and drawbacks of GenAI tools.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One possible way of approaching this is to consider a two-stage process for teaching students particular skills in the context of GenAI. Set up classes so that students first:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learn the underlying theory and practice of skill X without use of GenAI, then&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Collectively experiment with and critically evaluate usefulness of GenAI in terms of skill X&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>How might this process work in your own context?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 1 &#8211; learn&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about the skills and capabilities which you want students on your programme\/module to develop. Consider overall programme or module learning outcomes, those for particular classes, or preparation for formative (developmental) and summative assessment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to answer these questions in relation to your module and discipline:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To what extent do some skills seem essential for students to master independently of GenAI?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What knowledge and skills do students need to plan their approaches to research or problem-solving tasks, and to therefore produce effective prompts for GenAI?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What do students need to understand in order to evaluate the outputs of GenAI on tasks in your discipline?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Evaluating and verifying sources&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Checking accuracy of information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identifying bias&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Resisting digital sycophancy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 2 \u2013 do<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apply the answers to the questions above to your planning for a particular class, lecture or assessment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make a 2-step plan which first develops an underpinning (human!) skill, then explores the affordances and risks of using GenAI in this area.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 3 \u2013 reflect<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Extend this thinking across a series or sequence of classes, or to module \/ programme level.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can you draw a \u2018thread\u2019 which combines skills development activities, deliberate practice, and timely engagement with GenAI across a module or programme?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#caebfa\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join the conversation&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/l\/message\/19:a6bcd01693ee48e5b0402b091da0219d@thread.tacv2\/1771408167769?tenantId=4a5378f9-29f4-4d3e-be89-669d03ada9d8&amp;groupId=fff5f73d-b455-4784-afa1-8fe78cfcde3a&amp;parentMessageId=1771408167769&amp;teamName=Education%20Focused%20Network&amp;channelName=GenAI%20Essentials%20-%20Quick%20Tips%20for%20Educators&amp;createdTime=1771408167769\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Post your thoughts on the weekly Teams post to join the conversation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further links&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dell&#8217;Acqua, F., McFowland, E., Mollick, E. R., Lifshitz-Assaf, H., Kellogg, K., Rajendran, S.,&nbsp;Krayer, L., Candelon, F., &amp; Lakhani, K. R. (2023). Navigating the jagged technological&nbsp;frontier: Field experimental evidence of the effects of AI on knowledge worker productivity&nbsp;and quality. <em>Harvard Business School Technology &amp; Operations Mgt. Unit Working<\/em>&nbsp;<em>Paper<\/em>(24-013). &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kwik, J. (2025). Digital Yes-Men: How to Deal With Sycophantic Military AI? <em>Global Policy<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>16<\/em>(3), 467-473. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/1758-5899.70042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/1758-5899.70042<\/a> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#ffe9a6\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contributor biography&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Steve White is a Senior Teaching Fellow (Education Development) in the University of Southampton Business School. He\u2019s worked on various digital learning projects over the years and like everyone else, he\u2019s trying to get his head around what GenAI means for learning and teaching in higher education.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u00a9 2025. This work is openly licensed via<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CC BY-NC-SA<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the &#8216;jagged frontier&#8217; and why does it matter?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6063,"featured_media":386,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/534\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2161298305-e1762258835189.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6063"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":882,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385\/revisions\/882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/genai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}