The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies into educational settings has paved the way for innovative teaching and learning approaches. In Software Engineering (SE) education, using Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams is a fundamental teaching element for understanding complex software systems. This research addresses the ability of ChatGPT to utilize UML class and sequence diagrams for creating SE modeling exercises. We use ChatGPT to generate exercises based on the information from uploaded UML diagrams by analyzing textual UML representations such as Mermaid and graphical diagrams. The research explores ChatGPT’s ability to synthesize UML-specific information from class and sequence diagrams, enabling the generation of various exercises tailored to strengthen conceptual understanding and practical application. Furthermore, we investigate generating graphical UML class and sequence diagrams based on natural language as input. By bridging the gap between AI-driven natural language understanding and the comprehension of UML diagrams, this study highlights the potential of ChatGPT to improve SE education. Our concise findings address educators, practitioners, and other researchers engaged in the field of SE education with a special focus on UML.