ChatGPT Might Force Aussie Unis to Go Back To Pen and Paper

A glitch in the system.

There is no doubt that the rise and popularity of AI chatbots have us in awe of its capabilities.

Its abilities to formulate a response to any question, or even conjure up a story with a single prompt has us gob-smacked. If you don’t know what we’re on about, get up to speed here.

But what happens when students decide to use a tool like ChatGPT to write their own essays?

Early this year, The Washington Post reported that schools in New York City banned access to ChatGPT, with fears that the program could lead to widespread cheating – and Australia is not far behind from doing the same.

Professors and teachers are already identifying submissions that have been created via the AI software – so don’t think that you’ll be able to get away with it.

Several leading universities are already making plans to combat cheating via AI-generated content, including moving back to the good old paper and pen.

According to The Guardian, The University of Sydney now ‘specifically mentions “generating content using artificial intelligence” as a form of cheating’ in their latest academic integrity policy.

Since the launch of AI chatbot programs like ChatGPT, it’s been interesting to see the discussions being made about the reliability and authenticity of its responses.

Other AI-generated content has also caused concerns like the validity of an AI-generated image being entered as artwork into a competition, causing uproar among artists around the world.

Kevin Roose from The New York Times believes that we should strive to learn new tech like ChatGPT, stating students will ‘need to know their way around these tools – their strengths and weaknesses, their hallmarks and blind spots – in order to work alongside them’.

When it comes to the classroom, it’s easy to see why the evolution of this technology has educators worried.

Is our reliance on technology getting pushed too far, or should we embrace and learn to work with the advancements that are being made?