AI chat-bots are increasingly being adopted by educators of universities to enhance learning experiences, as they provide personalized learning, improve student engagement through interaction, and serve as a “study buddy.” This can be especially valuable for the exercises that students are performing at home. To explore the potential of generative AI for teaching and learning, at the Erasmus+-funded Pathfinder project, a chat-bot was developed for the course “The Art of Leading Yourself”. The course is aimed at developing self-leadership skills among students at Finnish higher education institutions. The course has weekly sessions with students and homework located on the learning platform. The course starts with exploring oneself, e.g., values, strengths, and motivation. One of the exercises students do individually is related to building personal character strengths. The VIA classification remains the most widely used framework, supported by robust validation studies. However, students need more guidance in order to raise their self-awareness. At the same time, some topics may be sensitive or too personal to share with teachers or peers, so a chat-bot can offer a safe environment for open self-evaluation. The chat-bot “Journey of Discovery” was created to enhance student engagement and as a result, increased motivation towards self-exploration. This article provides insights into the process of chat-bot development, as well as evaluates the results of this small pilot.

Keywords: AI, Chat GPT, chatbot, Erasmus+.