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Original poster

AI chatbot doing kids' homework for them - undetectable

237 replies

noblegiraffe · 31/12/2022 01:27

The robot apocalypse is upon us - an AI can now produce essays that cannot be picked up by plagiarism software. The Telegraph is breathlessly reporting that teachers are begging the government to solve the problem.

I've been playing around with the AI, and it is, indeed, impressive. It can produce perfectly reasonable essays in response to exam questions, in whatever style that you request; and not just essays, it can answer maths and science questions (and indeed any subject) with step by step explanations

Should teachers be worried? Probably. My DS reports that he has already heard of kids using it to do their homework.

How can we combat this?

Well, for English and humanities teachers, I would advise that you make an account and chat with the AI yourself. Feed it questions, see what it comes up with. It does come up with different answers each time you ask, but with strong similarities. If you feed your essay question in enough times, in enough ways, you should be able to spot AI generated answers.

The other solution is to only bother marking work that the students have produced in class, in test conditions - this is a policy I've had as a maths teacher for years. As a correct answer is a correct answer, who knows if it was produced by the pupil, their tutor, their parents, or the kid they hang out with at break time?

Parents: Try to encourage your kids not to cheat as in the end the AI can't sit their exams for them.

The software won't be free forever. But who knows what is coming next?

chat.openai.com/chat

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TeenDivided · 14/01/2023 11:44

It's really interesting seeing 2 teachers debate lesson planning. I wonder if it is a maths/science v 'arts' divide?

I have long wondered why teachers 'appear' to plan lessons from scratch rather than taking skeletons from a central area and then filling / fine tuning them to their own class & teaching style.
So I can't see the harm in AI produced lesson plans which an inexperienced teacher can then adapt, at least it gives them a base?

The skills in teaching surely isn't in delivering a toneless formulaic lesson to a class, but more making it tuned for the specific class and delivered in a way that means the info goes in?

FluffyHamster · 14/01/2023 11:23

Hmm... re new teachers and devising lesson plans...
I know! How about you put them all in a supervised room with pen and paper only and make them write them out?

SequinsandStilettos · 14/01/2023 11:12

Noble
I clicked that link as I thought it was safe as I "know" you. It asked me to make an account, did not send me a two step verification promptly, said it was checking the security of my PC and I now have no internet on any device (am using mobile data now).
Has this happened to anyone else, have I been hacked? What did that link adk you to do please Noble?

Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:59

Other teachers. Themselves? Putting in the effort?

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 14/01/2023 10:52

what happened to new teachers learning their craft??

From?

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Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:47

say

Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:47

I would day, on a T and L point, it seems to be manna for the Knowledge Curriculum posse....

Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:46

I saw that... what happened to new teachers learning their craft??

I have noticed in that last ten years ago a real belief in new teachers that everything should already be provided for them and that they just deliver or facilitate. I find this a bit depressing.

I tried it on planning lessons for less standard subjects and it was not impressive.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 14/01/2023 10:38

Article urging teachers to use the chatbot to reduce workload by writing lesson plans.

schoolsweek.co.uk/openai-how-the-new-tech-can-drastically-cut-your-workload/

I asked it to plan some maths lessons and it did come up with a good structure and scaffolding of explanations which would be useful for new teachers.

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Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:37

Honestly noble they did all know who Sunak was...

Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:36

Yes, the latter as I had already checked how rubbish it was in my subjects!

TeenDivided · 14/01/2023 10:35

Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:24

I asked a few students at my school in year 11- 13 and not one of them had even heard of it...

Do you find it a worry to ask them? As if you might put ideas into their heads? Or were you confident enough you could convince them you can spot its use?

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 14/01/2023 10:34

They might have opinions about maths, but knowledge about the PM, not so much.

However, if you think that it's not a threat and the kids don't know about it, that'll make it easier to miss.

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Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:31

My students had LOADS of opinions on that!!

My point was, really, is they don't know what ChatGPT is , its use isn't as much of a threat as some are suggesting.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 14/01/2023 10:28

I asked my Y10s what they thought of Rishi Sunak's plans for compulsory maths to 18 and most of them didn't know who he was.

Not sure how engaged the tiktok generation are.

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Piggywaspushed · 14/01/2023 10:24

I asked a few students at my school in year 11- 13 and not one of them had even heard of it...

cerealchange · 14/01/2023 09:01

Fascinating

QuentininQuarantino · 14/01/2023 08:28

i teach EFL (B2 and C1 Cambridge exams) and have just received six AI written assignments from three 16 year olds! I can’t prove it but they’re too perfect even for a parent to have done (the format of test must be specific and the language is very high level).

I’m mulling over what to do. I guess writings will have to be done in class, which is sad because it’s a waste of contact time with a native speaker to be sitting in silence!

TeenDivided · 04/01/2023 06:24

The maths is delightful. Grin

Would this be because the AI can't judge whether sources are valid or not?

borntobequiet · 03/01/2023 23:02

Sooner or later it will teach itself to become a conspiracy theorist, and then where will we be?
Goodness me.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 03/01/2023 21:56

Fascinating serious of conversations: it gets maths questions wrong and contradicts itself (e.g. arguing that 39 is a prime number when it knows it's not)

twitter.com/sarahdrasmussen/status/1609972620761473027?s=61&t=Rfq0L4p2x2K_iVswLEO-LQ

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puffyisgood · 03/01/2023 21:33

it's not at all good at coming up with a polished answer to why halfway complicated question, but given where this kind of technology was say a decade ago the potential of it is fairly obvious.

a bit of a paradox really that the availability of this sort of thing tends to push education ever deeper into the handwritten/time constrained/closed book exam paradigm, just as these skills move further away from being applicable to the workplace.

Kawaii50 · 03/01/2023 00:30

I asked it for some travel itineraries for different types and locations and lengths of holiday, and it came up with good suggestions. It's like a personalised/adaptable Google, I thought, can see myself using it again.

Shesasuperfreak · 03/01/2023 00:09

Guys this goes beyond homework...

It can write incredibly detailed short stories. I was asking it to write a children's story about all differnt things set in different times and it bloody wrote it.

I asked it to write a shopping list for asda for a family of 5 one weeks worth of food for £60 ... and it wrote it.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 02/01/2023 19:01

igglo · 02/01/2023 16:56

Has anyone spotted whether it produces more American of British English?

American. It would say recognize or organize, or aluminum as standard.

You can specify in your question that you would like British English spelling.

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