Since 2022, artificial intelligence programs have been steadily becoming more popular, especially among college students.
Over the past year, AI-generated art programs seem to be at the center of controversial debates about whether these programs should be used; however, now there is a newer and more advanced threat.
AI-generated writing programs like ChatGPT or ParagraphAI are beginning to become more and more mainstream with videos of the programs circulating on social media. Over 38 million TikTok users have seen videos relating to “ai essay writer” which show off these AI writing programs as student hacks for writing essays.
These new AI-generated writing programs being advertised to students in this way are extremely alarming and may come with future consequences.
The New York Times recently published an article by Kalley Huang which discussed the concerns of universities and professors who are beginning to crack down on these AI programs.
In response to students attempting to cheat with AI writing, professors like Antony Aumann at Northern Michigan University are beginning to create more complex assignments, incorporate more restrictive access programs and are even bringing AI into the classroom.
“Across the country, university professors like Mr. Aumann, department chairs and administrators are starting to overhaul classrooms in response to ChatGPT, prompting a potentially huge shift in teaching and learning,” Huang stated
Banning AI programs in colleges and universities would most likely be ineffective and unfair, as Huang explains, so changes will instead be taking place in classrooms by making assignments more challenging to cheat on.
AI writing programs may be a good tool to assist you in writing and to get you to a starting place, however, it is important that students remember this isn’t something that can replace your writing entirely. AI may give off the illusion that it is perfect and incapable of making mistakes, but this is not always the case.
An article published in Becoming Human: Artificial Intelligence Magazine explains that AI can sometimes “make mistakes in grammar or spelling” and most importantly, AI “usually doesn’t have a style of writing unique to its creator.”
Not to mention, although Clemson University has not announced new policies regarding the use of AI writing, professors are starting to catch on, and some learning platforms are making changes to help.
Turnitin is one of these popular education platforms that many professors here at Clemson utilize when students submit papers. The platform has many features to help professors assess a student’s assignment, with one of the main ones being spotting plagiarism in writing.
In response to students relying on AI to write their papers, Turnitin has announced that they are taking steps to combat dishonesty through new features. Turnitin is letting professors and educators know that they “have technology that can detect AI-assisted writing and AI writing generated by tools such as ChatGPT today.”
Although AI writing is a very interesting and new form of technology with many positive uses, it is necessary that we do not abuse it and use it as a way to get by in college.
You’re paying to be here, to learn and to get the most out of school. Writing your own papers allows you to learn from mistakes, appreciate the effort you put forth, build confidence in your voice and become more knowledgeable on a topic.
Your writing is unique and authentic to you. That’s something a robot will never be able to replace.
