AI chatbot doing kids' homework for them - undetectable

[noblegiraffe]

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

Incidentally, I asked the AI how to stop pupils using the AI to do their homework and its response was:

"There are a few strategies you can use to discourage students from using me or other language models to do their homework:

Educate your students about the importance of learning and doing their own work. Explain that the point of homework is to practice and reinforce the skills and concepts they are learning in class, and that cheating or using someone else to do their work does not help them develop these skills.

Set clear expectations and consequences for cheating or plagiarism. Make it clear that using someone else to do their homework, including language models like me, is considered cheating and will not be tolerated.

Encourage your students to ask for help when they need it. Encourage them to come to you or other trusted sources for assistance with their homework, rather than relying on external sources.

Use plagiarism detection software or tools to check for copied content in students' homework. This can help you identify instances where students are using external sources, including language models, to do their work.

Encourage students to think critically and solve problems on their own.

Encourage them to come up with their own solutions to problems and assignments, rather than simply copying the answers from external sources.

By using a combination of these strategies, you can help your students understand the importance of doing their own work and encourage them to develop their own problem-solving and critical thinking skills."

I teach in a wealthy international school.

We basically don't accept written coursework unless a) there's a draft handwritten in supervised conditions which actually somewhat resembles the final submission b) a viva voce has been conducted by the teacher. (Sometimes over zoom with a parent invited, when they refuse to accept that their kid has mysteriously produced 2000 words overnight).

I'm not too concerned about AI, given the sheer number of 'tutors' out there already who'll bang out an essay for £50...it's just one more wrinkle.

Our default, sadly, is 'ok, we are going to test to destruction whether you actually wrote this...let's go!'.

Gosh that is scary, I'm a uni student and I just popped in one of my essay questions (I've already done it I'm not looking to cheat) and you could totally get away with it! That's terrifying. I'm not a teacher so I'm not sure what could be done but if someone did use one of these AI chat bots wouldn't you be able to tell that their writing style is different assuming they didn't paraphrase it? I guess in time new assessments will need to be developed to try and stop them.

That's exactly what I was thinking, don't kids just have other people do their work already? So now there's yet another option for them.

I'm not too concerned about AI, given the sheer number of 'tutors' out there already who'll bang out an essay for £50...it's just one more wrinkle.

Yes, I guess that has always been an option for pupils with money! The fact that this is free and easily available opens it up to a much wider audience and teachers in state schools now have to consider what you have already been dealing with.

I don't know how much value other teachers currently place on work produced at home, but clearly it's not going to be worth marking it anymore.

For teachers, by the way, try asking it to produce a worksheet for you, multiple choice or otherwise. You can also ask it to write a lesson plan for you, but these aren't great.

I asked it to write a typical MN post and it came up with

"Hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with potty training their toddler? My little one is 2 and a half and I'm not sure if he's ready to start the process. He shows some interest in the potty but then gets scared and refuses to sit on it. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance."

Then I asked for a typical angry MN post and it said

"Warning: Rant Ahead!

I am so fed up with my partner. He constantly leaves his dirty clothes all over the floor and expects me to pick them up. I work full-time and come home to a mess every single day. And when I ask him to pick them up, he just says "I'll do it later" and then never does.

I'm tired of being the only one who seems to care about keeping our house clean and organized. It's not like I'm asking for a 5-star hotel, just a bit of common decency and respect for our home.

Why is it that men seem to think it's okay to just dump their stuff wherever they please and expect someone else to clean up after them? I'm at my wit's end and don't know how to get through to him. Any advice on how to deal with a lazy and inconsiderate partner would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for letting me vent."

Tbf it's not allowed to swear, but they're not bad.

It's kind of fascinating how good it is!

I've seen teachers discussing it on Twitter, and I've seen a few English teachers suggest it produces decent work for GCSE level, but at A-level, the work produced is noticeably poorer than what an A/B grade student would come out with. So I imagine students can "get away with it" but it's probably not benefiting them in any way.

I tried putting in some GCSE and A-level science questions out of curiosity. The answers are good, but the GCSE question answers are too high level, and it struggles to hit the A-level mark scheme without writing an essay. So it's not perfect... yet.

But it is interesting!

I'm a teacher and I had a play around with some questions on the AI to test it, particularly longer questions for the older ones. Some bits were impressive but I can easily tell it's not written by a student of mine. Either it didn't quite answer the question or used different wording I use in class. So I'm not too worried. It's the same when kids copy answers from the mark scheme online, teachers can always tell!

It’s useless for university level questions. Fortunately.

I'm not sure teachers should ignore this on the premise that they will be able to tell!

I've also had a play with it and agree it is impressive, but not quite good enough to get top marks. What I think it does well is the sort of weekly homework tasks (or forum posts if you're a uni student) which ask for about 250 words to show you've taken in the subject.
I'm a recent mature student at uni and put in one of my essay titles. What it produced was too general (with false citations!) but interestingly what it did well was summarise the key themes and areas the essay should cover. In that sense I can imagine it would be useful for a student who has difficulty in starting and structuring an essay - it might give them a starting structure which they can then flesh out.
We already use AI widely in spelling and grammar checking software, in plagiarism software and in programmes that generate citations. Isn't this just the next natural development?

I think we need to learn to use it to work to our benefit, rather than try to shut it all down. I think the educational model of 'read all this stuff and regurgitate it' to prove knowledge and intelligence is out of date and needs an urgent overhaul. As the parent of a dyslexic child with ADD I know that any move to try to bring all work and assessment into the classroom will discriminate against them and their ways of working.

It feels a bit like when calculators were invented and everyone proclaimed they would lead to cheating and the demise of maths skills. And yet now they are an essential tool in maths education and have replaced some of the basic grunt work.
The same needs to happen for this kind of ChatGPT. We need to be teaching kids how to ask sophisticated questions to get quality information, how to evaluate information for accuracy, and how to add value and critical thinking to the mass of general information that is available.

I also doubt very much that any tutors (at uni especially) are going to pick up on a student's writing style being marginally different. Different modules are marked by different tutors and a whole range of post docs etc, and are usually marked blind anyway.

I asked it to analyse the character of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet

"Mercutio is a complex and multifaceted character in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He is a close friend of Romeo's and is known for his quick wit and clever wordplay.

One of the defining characteristics of Mercutio is his sense of humor. He is constantly cracking jokes and making puns, even in the face of danger or conflict. For example, when Romeo is banished from Verona and is feeling depressed, Mercutio tries to cheer him up by making jokes about the situation.

Despite his humorous exterior, however, Mercutio is also a hot-headed and impulsive character. He is quick to anger and is not afraid to speak his mind, even if it means getting into arguments or fights. This impulsiveness ultimately leads to his tragic demise, as he is killed in a duel with Tybalt.

Despite his flaws, however, Mercutio is also a loyal friend and a brave warrior. He is willing to stand up for what he believes in, and he is always there for his friends when they need him.

Overall, Mercutio is a dynamic and complex character who adds depth and complexity to the story of Romeo and Juliet."

Then to rewrite at a lower level:

"Mercutio is a character in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. He is known for being funny and making jokes. He also gets angry easily and is not afraid to speak his mind, even if it causes problems. Unfortunately, this trait leads to his death in a fight with Tybalt. Despite his flaws, Mercutio is a good friend and brave in battles. He adds interesting elements to the story of Romeo and Juliet."

Then to analyse the character in the style of a teenager:

"Yo, so Mercutio is like this total wild card in Romeo and Juliet. He's always cracking jokes and making puns, even when things are getting serious. Like, dude never takes anything seriously. But at the same time, he's also super impulsive and quick to anger. Like, he doesn't think before he speaks and it gets him into all sorts of trouble.

But even though he's got his flaws, Mercutio is also a total ride or die friend. He's always there for Romeo and the rest of the gang, and he's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. Plus, he's a total warrior. Like, he's not afraid to throw down in a fight, even if it means putting himself in danger.

In the end, Mercutio is just a complex dude. He's got all these different sides to him - the jokester, the hothead, the loyal friend, the warrior - and they all come together to make him this really interesting and dynamic character. He definitely adds some depth to the story of Romeo and Juliet."

I think a smart teen wouldn't copy the text directly but use it for discussion points and tips. The AI is also good at coming up with arguments for and against propositions.

I guess cheaper than essay mills, and more unique

What's the name of the site or software please

It feels a bit like when calculators were invented and everyone proclaimed they would lead to cheating and the demise of maths skills. And yet now they are an essential tool in maths education and have replaced some of the basic grunt work.

And yet....maths assessments have had to adapt to account for them. We have a non-calculator paper at GCSE to force students to be able to solve problems without them. At A-level, we don't have a non-calculator paper and this is causing problems. Exam papers have to ask students to 'show detailed reasoning' so that we know that they haven't just typed the question in to their calculator. Calculators that can do symbolic algebra are also banned!

chat.openai.com/chat

You have to create an account to be able to use it.

Is there a way to try it without giving them my phone number?

OP I think you are opening a can of worms here dont you?

You could probably use a website to generate a burner phone number.

I think they need it to ward off bots more than anything.

What do you mean?

Should AI essay-writing software be banned?

It is not appropriate to ban AI essay-writing software outright. However, it is important to consider how this technology is used and to ensure that it is not used in a way that is unethical or harmful.
There are potential benefits to using AI essay-writing software. For example, it can help students learn to write by providing feedback and suggestions on their writing. It can also save time and effort for educators who would otherwise have to grade a large number of essays manually.
However, there are also potential risks associated with the use of AI essay-writing software. For example, if students use the software to write essays that they submit for grades or credits, it could be considered cheating. In addition, if the software is not designed and used properly, it could produce inaccurate or biased results.
It is important for educators, students, and others to consider the potential benefits and risks of AI essay-writing software and to use it in a responsible and ethical manner. This may involve establishing clear guidelines for its use, such as requiring students to disclose when they have used the software and to provide their own original ideas and analysis in their writing.

(I couldn't be ar$ed to write anything, so here's what it gave me to the opening question. Took about 5 seconds!) 😮

I think people will let their children use it. I had never heard of it before and I wish it was around when I was doing my apprenticeship.

I am impressed but its like you told us about a drug that we had never heard of that was giving off the best high of your life and you were just warning us to not use it.

Teachers will know their students well enough to spot a level 4 pupil submitting a level 9 essay and they will ask questions and discuss. Exams back so only cheating themselves. It would be an automatic flag up if coursework assessments were much higher than tests

I am really shocked at the quality of what is being produced (though spotted the lack of quotes in the R&J output).
Can you ask it to do poor spelling and grammar to mimic a dyslexic child?