In order to analyze the potential of AI-based language models in teaching and learning, the Department 07 organized a "Friendly Hacking" competition in May 2023. Students were invited to submit written elaborations on three given tasks they had created using ChatGPT or a similar program. Out of eleven submissions, Jonas Rink (Master of Public Administration program) was awarded the "Golden Pencil" for the best exposé on the topic of "Efficiency in Public Administration".

Decisive for Mr. Rink's award was the very good understanding of the functionality of an AI-based language model beyond a mere support in the formulation of texts as well as his awareness of and critical approach to known weaknesses of ChatGPT.

A "Silver Pencil" each was awarded to David Boss for his ChatGPT-supported term paper on "Sectoral Price Trends" (ten submissions) and Benedict Rainer Schmitt for his paper on the Maxims and Reflections of François de La Rochefoucauld (eleven submissions). The evaluation of the submissions was done by Prof. Dr. Björn Frank (Department of Microeconomics), apl. Prof. Dr. Rainer Voßkamp (Department of Quantitative Methods/VWL) and Stefanie Vedder (Department of Public Management).