The public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 has shaken up the academic world. Many see AI-based text generators as a potential threat to the integrity and competences of scientists, but there is also a huge potential to improve research not only in the quantitative sciences, but also in the arts and in qualitative social sciences. This contribution presents the results of an investigation into the opportunities and limitations of ChatGPT, and its implications for different areas of society, from a technology assessment perspective. Furthermore, it discusses the challenges of using systems like ChatGPT in scientific policy advice and other academic fields.