Teachers, parents face new challenge: detecting when students use AI for school assignments

With the advent of artificial intelligence technologies like ChatGPT and other apps, teachers and parents are facing a new challenge: trying to accurately detect whether a student has used AI to do their schoolwork.

"A high school student could use it to write an English paper," said Rebecca Joseph, a professor of education at Cal State Los Angeles. "It could ask it math problems."
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AI apps like ChatGPT will continue to be used by students, Joseph said, and they're going to make it harder for some pupils to develop critical thinking.

"It does require deep learning and thought to come up with critical analysis, and how to work with themes and how to do these things," Joseph said.

Surely there are ways to detect when students use AI?

TurnItIn.com says it can do that -- to a degree. But experts say one big sign of AI use is simply blandness.

"You're just going to get bland products," she said in an interview with ABC7. "It's going to be bland and mediocre, without any original thought, because ChatGPT doesn't have original thought."

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But can AI actually be a viable tool in schools? Some teachers say it can be -- if it's used the right way.

"ChatGPT is really great for kids who struggle with a first draft," said Noriko Nakada, an English teacher and parent. "I'm going to encourage my students to do that. This is a resource. Let's not pretend it doesn't exist."



But not everyone is sold on that idea.
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"That is absolutely the exact wrong answer," Karen North, a USC professor and expert in digital social media. "That's where the analysis is somebody else's."

North is also worried that plagiarism-detection software is not able to accurately identify those who are using AI -- leading to honest students being flagged for cheating when they're not.



And then there are problems with AI's accuracy.

"The whole AI thing is so overly trusted for such a ridiculously flawed system," North said.
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But will AI destroy schools? Will it make students lazy and uneducated? Maybe even ... dumb?

"I don't know that they're going to be dumber, they're just going to be undercooked," Joseph said.

The AI lesson most experts say is top-of-line: Parents have to start using it themselves, so they can coach their kids on when -- and when not -- to use it.

"It may be easier to use AI," Joseph said. "It's just not as interesting."