Good Enough to Talk To?

Abstract

This research investigates the consequences for negotiation and communication skills perceived by students after using a generative AI chatbot to practice human-centered activities within the field of aerospace engineering, as well as the pedagogical usefulness of such a tool. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly integrated in engineering education, offering new ways to simulate job-related activities and give students more opportunities for practice. However, most existing research focuses on technical performance, such as coding support and general usability, while the effects on social and communication skills remain less explored.
Seventeen aerospace engineering students from TU Delft participated in a negotiation scenario with a ChatGPT-based chatbot acting as a professional teammate, followed by a mixed questionnaire. Results show that students generally perceive the chatbot as easy to use (89% positive), while holding a neutral-positive attitude towards its performance (55.29% positive) and professional relevance (68% positive). Qualitative findings suggest that the chatbot is mainly valued for preparing and structuring information, but not for improving communication skills. This is reflected in mixed future-use intentions (43.8% positive and negative responses; M = -0.31). While perceived social confidence remained relatively high (79.4% positive), no clear improvement in communication ability was reported. The chatbot interactions were also consistently viewed as less realistic than human interactions due to the lack of emotional expression and non-verbal means of communication.
Overall, the chatbot is viewed as a useful tool for preparation, but not as a replacement for human-centered communication training. These findings add to the understanding of how GenAI chatbots function in educational settings and offer initial considerations for their responsible use in aerospace engineering education.