AI is Outperforming Students, and Teachers Don’t Know It
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new study from the University of Reading revealed that not only does the use of AI in the classroom go undetected at an alarming rate, but it also performs better on average than its human counterparts.
The study was conducted by submitting AI-generated exam answers alongside real answers from students across five modules for a psychology class. The detection of the AI-generated answers was abysmal, as 94% went through unnoticed. Perhaps even more troubling, however, is that those using AI to cheat would have been rewarded as the AI-generated responses scored between half a letter grade to a full letter grade better than the human responses.
This study paints a troubling picture for both teachers and students who care about the quality of education as the low risk and high reward of submitting AI-generated work leaves little incentive for students to apply themselves.
While the mainstream use of AI in nearly all aspects of life is likely the way of the future, current students nonetheless need to learn how to succeed without relying on the technology. A great example is the introduction of calculators, which allow people to perform complex math problems in seconds. However, in order for the field to progress, mathematicians need to have an intimate understanding of even the most complex laws in order to further push their understanding. In that case, calculators still serve as an aid but are not the ones making the breakthroughs themselves.
In the same way, AI tools such as ChatGPT are excellent tools in numerous ways, however, students still need to be able to perform functions like critical thinking, brainstorming and writing on their own to be successful later in life. If we all become reliant on AI tools to perform these functions for us and lack these abilities on our own, society as a whole will suffer.
This poses a difficult problem for teachers who have to balance preparing students for the way of the future, while also equipping them with the basic tools necessary to succeed. As for now, though, it remains largely in the student’s court whether they will choose to cut corners for immediate success or if they will work hard and invest in their own future.
Movieguide® previously reported:
As AI program ChatGPT becomes more mainstream and powerful, teachers consider this technology’s place in the classroom.
The release of this revolutionary technology at the end of last year gave students access to some of the most powerful cheating technology ever created and caused problems for teachers across all levels of education.
It wasn’t long before students were caught trying to pass off ChatGPT’s work as their own, and syllabuses and policies needed to be updated to outline the consequences of using said technology.
“We need to say, full stop, that any attempt to pass off work of someone or something else’s as your own is deceptive,” Jason Thacker, professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky, said.
“In certain situations, it would be beneficial to ban a technology like this, but [the] reality is you’re never going to ever truly ban it,” he continued. “You’re never going to be able to keep students from using it because if you banned it on school computers, the next thing you know, they’re using their smartphone tablets, or they’re using it at home.”
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