ChatGPT: Is Cheating Inevitable Now?

“ChatGPT is a cutting-edge natural language processing tool that provides a wide range of advantages for data scientists.” Could you tell if a human or artificial intelligence (AI) wrote that? If you guessed AI, you are correct.

ChatGPT’s AI service can be used to do anything, from answering questions about the weather to typing college essays. ChatGPT’s vast range of utility is frightening teachers when it comes to preserving academic integrity. “The first reaction I had when I heard about this technology was that it was going to happen eventually. In the way AI was advancing, it was only a matter of time before technology like this would be accessible to the public,” admitted B-CC English teacher Ms. Sullivan.

More frequently, students are relying on AI to complete both major and minor assignments. One anonymous B-CC student confessed, “I’ve used it [AI] to help me write an essay for homework when I didn’t feel like writing the whole thing.” Another student added, “I used it for a couple of college essays when I couldn’t think of a place to start.”

While teachers and administrators across the country try their best to maintain academic integrity among students, AIs like ChatGPT make catching cheating almost impossible. Being able to alter writing style, purpose, tone, and everything in between, these AIs are capable of writing pieces identical to those of most students. Teachers like Ms. Sullivan are left in the dark, trying to distinguish between the two.

As AI technology continues to advance, it is expected that students will utilize sites like ChatGPT more frequently to complete their schoolwork. “We need to reframe the way we teach and develop technology that will successfully catch kids when they use resources like this, but for now, there is no real solution for schools,” said Ms. Sullivan.