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In a recent survey of over 400 students at the University of Cambridge, nearly half said they had used ChatGPT to help with work for their degrees.
The online survey was conducted by Varsity, the University’s independent newspaper, and found that 47.3% of the respondents admitted to using ChatGPT, or other similar Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots, for their academic work.
For those who are not yet in the know, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI and was released in November 2022. The free technology can answer questions, analyse text, and produce passable essays in a matter of minutes. It is no surprise therefore, that the chatbot has become increasingly popular with students, with Varsity’s survey finding that some students simply use ChatGPT to assist with revision or understanding difficult articles, whereas over a fifth of students said they use it “often” or “always” when producing their work.
Although AI has proven to be a very useful tool, its increasing use in the education sector may be concerning to some, as students are using ChatGPT to produce work which will be assessed as part of their degree and, even more worryingly, have indicated that they intend to use it for their upcoming online exams. Its use therefore creates a plethora of issues for universities.
Universities have policies in place relating to student conduct and rules against plagiarism/collusion, and it is likely that using AI technology for assessed work would amount to academic misconduct under these rules. The University of Cambridge has made it clear that: “Content produced by AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, does not represent the student’s own original work so would be considered a form of academic misconduct to be dealt with under the University’s disciplinary procedures. The University has issued guidance to Departments to help address concerns about risks to the integrity of assessments”.
The potential sanctions for academic misconduct can include the mark for the paper being reduced to zero, or the student being stripped of their degree entirely. With this in mind, and the fact that universities are investing heavily in technology to tackle plagiarism, students must carefully consider the ramifications before using AI chatbots for their studies.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the content covered in this blog, please contact Shannett Thompson or any member of our regulatory team.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannett Thompson is a Partner in the Regulatory Team having trained in the NHS and commenced her career exclusively defending doctors. She provides regulatory advice predominantly in the health and social care and education sectors. Shannett has vast experience advising regulated individuals, businesses such as clinics and care homes and students in respect of disciplinary investigations.
We welcome views and opinions about the issues raised in this blog. Should you require specific advice in relation to personal circumstances, please use the form on the contact page.
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