A struggling student at Cardiff University in Wales found a lifeline in the form of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that helped him achieve the highest grade he’d ever received, according to Insider. The student, known by the pseudonym “Tom,” conducted an experiment during January’s assessment period, submitting two separate essays – one written with the help of ChatGPT and another without the AI’s assistance.
✅ AI Essay Writer ✅ AI Detector ✅ Plagchecker ✅ Paraphraser
✅ Summarizer ✅ Citation Generator
Key takeaways:
- AI chatbot success. A student leverages ChatGPT to achieve his highest-ever grade.
- Academic integrity concerns. Educational institutions express concerns about AI usage and potential plagiarism.
- New policies needed. Universities must create guidelines for ethical AI applications and maintain a fair academic environment.
Tom, who had been averaging a 2.1 grade, told BBC News that he used ChatGPT to access information more quickly than usual by prompting it with questions. While he didn’t copy the generated content word for word, he adapted and tweaked it to create his essay. As a result, Tom received a low 2.1 grade for the essay he wrote on his own, but the AI-assisted piece earned him his first highest grade ever awarded to him.
Despite happy ending stories like Tom’s, AI chatbots like ChatGPT have been met with concern from educational institutions. Several students were caught trying to pass off the bot-generated content as their own shortly after its release in late November, raising questions about academic integrity.
Professors have told Insider that using AI to write essays is considered plagiarism, but proving it can be challenging unless a student admits to doing so. Cardiff University is reviewing its existing policies in response to the growing use of AI and will soon issue new university-wide guidance. A representative for the university emphasized the importance of maintaining academic integrity and educating students about the proper use of AI and its benefits.
The rise of AI chatbots like ChatGPT has put colleges and universities on high alert, forcing them to address the challenges and ethical concerns these technologies pose to academic integrity. Institutions are now grappling with the implications of AI-assisted work and the need to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable uses of such tools.
As students like Tom find value in utilizing AI chatbots to improve their academic performance, educational institutions must balance embracing AI’s benefits and maintaining a fair and rigorous academic environment. By educating students on proper AI usage, universities can foster a culture of responsible AI application that promotes learning and growth.
Moreover, developing new policies and guidelines for AI use in academic settings will help clarify ethical AI applications and provide a framework for faculty members to evaluate student work that may have been created with AI assistance.
In the meantime, the story of Tom and his AI-assisted essay serves as a reminder of the rapid advancements in AI technology and its potential impact on the future of education. As AI tools become more sophisticated and accessible, the relationship between technology and academia will continue to evolve, presenting both opportunities and challenges for students, educators, and institutions alike.
Follow us on Reddit for more insights and updates.
More from Higher Education News
Comments (0)
Welcome to A*Help comments!
We’re all about debate and discussion at A*Help.
We value the diverse opinions of users, so you may find points of view that you don’t agree with. And that’s cool. However, there are certain things we’re not OK with: attempts to manipulate our data in any way, for example, or the posting of discriminative, offensive, hateful, or disparaging material.