Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI
Apr 10, 2024
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AI-generated content in student papers detected by Turnitin. Challenges of detecting AI-written content in academic settings. Exploring impact and considerations of AI detection software in schools.
22 million academic papers may contain AI-generated content, posing challenges for educators in detecting and addressing AI-assisted work.
Concerns exist regarding accuracy and bias in AI-written content, prompting universities to suspend or review AI detection tools like Turnitin's.
Deep dives
Rise of Generative AI in Education
Students are increasingly using generative AI tools to write academic papers, with over 22 million papers possibly incorporating AI-generated content according to TurnitIn. While some fear for the demise of traditional writing skills due to AI, concerns about accuracy and bias in AI-written content have arisen. Detection of AI use in student work poses challenges for educators, as nuances in how AI is utilized vary from aiding research to acting as ghostwriters, complicating the process of identifying and addressing AI-generated content.
Challenges and Controversies in Detecting AI-written Content
Educators face difficulties in detecting AI-written content with tools like Word Spinners and Grammarly's generative AI further complicating the identification of AI-assisted work. False positives and bias risks in AI detection raise concerns, leading some universities like Montclair State, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern to suspend or reconsider the use of TurnitIn's AI detection tool. While AI detection software aims to uncover potential plagiarism, concerns persist about the accuracy, bias, and impact on educational integrity.
Turnitin, a service that checks papers for plagiarism, says its detection tool found millions of papers that may have a significant amount of AI-generated content. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here.