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

No, they wouldn't be flagged by a plagiarism checker, and that's one of the worries in academia. They are generating new content, not cobbling together phrases pulled from elsewhere.

There are also other AI writing programmes which will rephrase text for you too, and of course software such as TurnItIn tell you if you are at risk of plagiarism (and bizarrely (I feel) universities encourage students to run their essays through it before submission).

This is so interesting. I’m actually shocked! I asked it about affects of cocomelon on babies (as it’s on!):

Write about the affects of cocomelon on babies and young children, negative and positive

Cocomelon is a popular children's educational YouTube channel that features animated nursery rhymes and original songs. The content is designed for young children and is meant to be educational and entertaining.

Overall, the effects of Cocomelon on babies and young children can be both positive and negative, depending on how the content is consumed and the individual child's development.

Positive effects of Cocomelon on babies and young children:

Exposure to language and vocabulary: Cocomelon features a variety of nursery rhymes and songs that can help young children learn new words and improve their language skills.
Cognitive development: Watching Cocomelon can help young children learn about different concepts, such as colors, shapes, and numbers.
Social and emotional development: The songs and characters in Cocomelon can help young children learn about emotions and social interactions.
Entertainment: Cocomelon can provide young children with an enjoyable and engaging way to pass the time.
Negative effects of Cocomelon on babies and young children:

Overconsumption: If young children watch Cocomelon excessively, it could potentially limit their exposure to other forms of media and activities that are important for their development.
Attention span: Watching Cocomelon or any other screen-based media for extended periods of time can potentially shorten a young child's attention span.
Dependence: Some young children may become overly reliant on Cocomelon or other screen-based media for entertainment, which could limit their ability to engage in other activities or play independently.
It is important for parents and caregivers to be aware of the potential effects of Cocomelon and other media on young children and to monitor and limit their consumption as appropriate. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 18 months old avoid all screen time except for video chatting, and that children 2 to 5 years old should have no more than 1 hour of high-quality programming per day.

I asked it to write me 500 words on why teachers deserve a pay rise.

Coming to a thread near you soon

Messing about with it myself and it is genuinely failing on anything literary and on film studies. It can do a 'voice' but it hasn't seen the films or read the texts. Loads and loads of simple factual errors in the film essays. It was a bit better on the more factual essays for sociology, but no theories or supporting data. It vaguely managed a 'compare the contexts of [two films] ' type question because that isn't dependent on watching the films.

thinking a bit further about whether it can apply in work tasks. I cannot see it can help with any parts of our jobs which involve internal systems and complex decisions. Most of the time the biggest task to describe the problem rather than finding the solution.

Perhaps that is an advice for the kids? Ie if you don't learn how to solve questions by yourself now you won't be able to perform at work in the future?

Maybe English teachers could use it to generate a response to a prompt and then get the class to analyse why it's a poor response and how it could be improved.

I imagine the investors can't wait to commercialise it now. The lowest hanging fruits for them are probably the customer service chatbots of service providers which are annoyingly stupid.

Get the kids to turn in their handwritten essay notes with the points, overview and summary, and be prepared to expand on them verbally in class?

I got it to write me a poem about my cat. I also asked it whether cats or dogs are better, but it refused to come down on either side.
It doesn't have opinions, which is a major flaw/plus compared to humans, depending on what you're asking it to do.

It won’t write me a Mumsnet post - it doesn’t do posts for individual forums apparently

Fuckers:

'Are transwomen women?'

'Trans women are women. Trans women are individuals who were assigned male at birth but identify as women. They may choose to transition, which can involve changing their name, pronouns, and appearance to align with their gender identity. It is important to respect the gender identity of trans people and to use the names and pronouns that they prefer.'

Do trans rights impact women's rights?

Trans rights and women's rights are not mutually exclusive. Both trans people and cisgender women (cisgender refers to people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth) can face discrimination, prejudice, and other challenges. Supporting the rights of trans people can help create a more inclusive and equitable society for all people, including women.
It is important to recognize that trans women are women and that they deserve the same rights, respect, and recognition as any other woman. Trans rights are human rights, and supporting trans rights is an important part of creating a just and equal society for all people. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge and address the specific challenges and discrimination that cisgender women may face, and to work towards creating a society where all people, regardless of their gender identity, can live with dignity and respect.

Titchy. Can you try asking for 250/500 words arguing in favour of sex based rights over gender based ones? I'm wondering if it can argue against its own point of view ...

I guess it would be worrying (if undetected) on a course where the coursework makes up a significant part of the final grade. But if there is a final exam then people who have turned in AI-based course-work are just going to get the grade that reflects the work they have actually done, knowledge and understanding they have built, and their ability to write that down on paper in the allotted time.

Not written by AI.

Are there any subjects where elements of coursework are completed at home anymore?

Yes, but as I think I proved, it's crap specifically with those subjects. Its responses are too factual.

I love “too factual” as a criticism

Copy paste...

Nah can't be bothered.

Won't overcome that.

Too factual, whilst at the same time making factual errors!!

It is important to recognize that sex and gender are two distinct concepts. Sex refers to the biological characteristics that define males, females, and intersex individuals, while gender refers to the social and cultural norms, roles, and expectations associated with being male or female. While sex is a fixed characteristic, gender can be more fluid and is often culturally and socially constructed.
There are several arguments in favor of sex-based rights over gender-based rights.
First, sex is a biological fact that is inherent and cannot be changed, while gender is a social construct that is subject to change and varies widely across cultures and time periods. This means that sex-based rights are more objective and grounded in reality, whereas gender-based rights are more subjective and dependent on cultural norms.
Second, sex-based rights are necessary to address the unique needs and challenges faced by individuals based on their biological sex. For example, women have different healthcare needs than men, such as the need for mammograms and pap smears, and may also face different types of discrimination and violence. Similarly, intersex individuals may have specific healthcare needs and may also face discrimination and stigma. Recognizing and addressing these needs through sex-based rights ensures that individuals have access to the resources and protections they need to thrive.
Third, gender-based rights can often be used to reinforce harmful stereotypes and reinforce oppressive systems. For example, the idea that women should be responsible for caregiving and men should be breadwinners is a gender stereotype that can be used to justify discrimination against women in the workforce and to restrict their opportunities. Similarly, the idea that men should be tough and emotionless reinforces harmful stereotypes about masculinity and can contribute to the stigmatization of mental health issues among men.
Fourth, sex-based rights can be more inclusive and less divisive than gender-based rights. While gender-based rights often focus on the rights of specific groups, such as women or LGBTQ+ individuals, sex-based rights can provide protections and resources for all individuals, regardless of their gender identity or expression. This can help to reduce tension and conflict between different groups and create a more cohesive and united society.
Overall, while both sex-based and gender-based rights are important, sex-based rights offer a more objective, inclusive, and practical approach to addressing the needs and challenges faced by individuals. By recognizing and addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by individuals based on their biological sex, we can create a more just and equitable society for all.

Intersex on the very first line

DD has one more piece of coursework for her English iGCSE…done at home, submitted to teacher, verbal feedback then a week to polish….

I will be putting her title into the AI and then getting the AI to polish it - then I’m going to send it to the HoD and ask them what they think!!! I will explain what it is obviously!!!

I would try to get feedback before explaining where it's come from. All the people in education I've spoken to are very defensive, and are adamant that they would recognise AI generated content.
I'm not so sure...

Problem is the only way to do that would be to have dd submit it as her own work which she categorically won’t do!

Thanks Noble
Was discussing this with my youngest uni aged dc over the holidays. We were all amazed at how good it was to be honest, granted we are all scientists and the like rather than arts/humanities based but it wrote me a very good A level biology essay, and summarised my PhD ( years old on a rare genetic disorder and DNA sequencing) more eruditely than I could have done.
one a side note I really like the idea of only marking work done in class, i get so fed up of marking past paper Qs for my sixth formers where they have clearly googled the answers. Wondering if i can sneak that in past our marking policy.