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Picture : Yann Schreiber / AFP .
Tech shakeup
Universities combat new AI cheating software .
By Eleanor Campbell
Afree AI tool has sparked fears over a dramatic spike in student plagiarism , but a technology expert says universities should learn to embrace new technologies .
The release of ChatGPT in November 2022 stunned academics with its ability to generate unique , human-like text responses to a range of user prompts .
The software was developed by Elon Musk ’ s for-profit company Open AI and has been described as a major disruptor to global education .
Earlier this month , peak body Group of Eight ( Go8 ) announced it will be " proactively tackling the emergence of AI " using new detection strategies .
This included a return to pen-to-paper exams and online supervisors to monitor overseas students .
According to Macquarie University ' s Professor Matt Bower , an expert in the use of digital technology in education , the race to ban AI could be “ unproductive and unhelpful ”.
“ ChatGPT is based on machine learning that is continually improving itself , we can only expect that its responses will become of higher and higher quality ,” Professor Bower told Campus Review .
“ Students will start to learn and focus on how to get around detection tools by adding emotive language or spelling mistakes or exclamation marks .
“ What we need to be doing is integrating artificial intelligence into the curriculum and using it as a starting point for discussions .” Most recently , South Australia ' s three main universities said they will adjust their integrity policies to allow AI use under strict conditions .
Flinders University , the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia will permit students to use programs like ChatGPT to help prepare assignments , as long as its use is disclosed .
Students need to learn how to critically evaluate and problem solve using AI software in order to reap its learning benefits , Professor Bower said .
“ If tasks are all about a lower order thinking of remembering or understanding , or recalling , and even basic application and synthesis tasks , those are the sorts of things that maybe technology can do for us ,” he said .
“ I think there also needs to be urgent professional learning to understand what AI does and what the implications are for assessment tasks and the curriculum .
“ Teachers need to look at their learning outcomes and decide whether they are still relevant in a world where artificial intelligence is increasingly prevalent .” ■
We can only expect that its responses will become of higher and higher quality .
ChatGPT . Picture : Supplied .
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