ChatGPT making it easier for students to cheat in school
(CBS DETROIT) - The artificial intelligence software known as ChatGPT is disrupting so many industries.
The AI was developed by a company called Open AI. While some are praising the technology, others are raising ethical concerns, especially regarding education.
"You're not learning if the software is doing it for you," said Alexander Davidson, an English teacher at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
Davidson said writing and communication are two of the most important skills students can learn in their high school years. However, he fears a new technology can make that more difficult and students caught using it could get in big trouble.
"It will count as plagiarism because it's not their original though, a computer wrote it for them," he said.
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The computer that Davidson is referring to is ChatGPT. The "GPT" stands for generative pre-trained transformer and the software can do just about anything you ask it to do, like write English essays.
Right now, it's nearly impossible for educators to know students are using it and that is pretty scary, according to Davidson.
"If there is no way to track it, do we even bother with an essay anymore?" Davidson said.
At the college level, some educators are taking a slightly different approach to ChatGPT.
"I think it's a useful tool," said Christopher Susak, an English professor at Wayne State University. "We started playing with it as soon as it became public, immediately we started talking about redesigning a curriculum we were already using as an opportunity to incorporate it into the classroom," Susak added.
Susak and Dr. Jared Grogan said they both believe it's necessary to teach students how to use ChatGPT, but there are still some concerns.
"I think it's a little scary for students," Grogan said.
Grogan said students have some anxiety about the need to learn new technologies so quickly and this is no exception.
"Things are moving really fast for them, they're really interested in it, I think they feel there is a need to master it to some extent," Grogan said.
Susak said he too has some reservations about the technology.
"At least now as it stands, it cannot determine what is a truth and what is a lie when it is feeding a recommendation to someone," Susak said.
Open AI recently announced it is releasing a tool to help educators detect whether or not Chat GPT was used to write essays.
"I am hopeful we get these tools by next year," said Davidson.