Last December, the emergence of an A.I. chatbot called ChatGPT sparked concerns about potential mass cheating among high school and college students in the United States. As a response, several large public school districts, including Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York City, swiftly restricted access to ChatGPT on school-issued laptops and Wi-Fi networks.
However, recent research from Stanford University challenges the notion that A.I. chatbots like ChatGPT have significantly increased cheating rates in high schools. Surveys conducted in over 40 U.S. high schools revealed that approximately 60 to 70 percent of students admitted to recent engagement in cheating, a percentage consistent with previous years.
Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education, stated, "There was a panic that these A.I. models will allow a whole new way of doing something that could be construed as cheating, but we're just not seeing the change in the data."
Developed by OpenAI in San Francisco, ChatGPT gained attention for its ability to generate human-like essays and emails. Expectations arose that A.I. tools like ChatGPT would revolutionize education, while critics raised concerns about potential widespread cheating and misinformation in schools.
Contrary to these expectations, a recent Pew Research Center report indicates that many teens have limited knowledge of ChatGPT, and the majority claim they have never used it for schoolwork. In a survey of over 1,400 U.S. teenagers aged 13 to 17, nearly one-third reported knowing "nothing at all" about the chatbot, and only 13 percent said they had used it for academic purposes.
Responses varied based on race and household income, with white teens and those from higher-income households more likely to be aware of ChatGPT. However, the majority of teens, even those aware of the chatbot, have not incorporated it into their schoolwork.
Cheating rates in schools have not witnessed a significant increase since the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, according to Stanford researchers. The study, which focused on high school students, did not extend to college students' use of A.I. tools for cheating.
When specifically questioned about the use of A.I. chatbots, 12 to 28 percent of high school students admitted to using such tools as unauthorized aids during tests or assignments. The researchers found that the majority used A.I. chatbots to generate ideas for papers rather than for completing entire assignments.
The findings from both Stanford University and the Pew Research Center suggest that the fears of widespread cheating facilitated by A.I. chatbots may have been overstated. Instead, the focus should shift towards helping students understand, use, and think critically about these tools.
While schools are still navigating acceptable usage rules for A.I. tools like ChatGPT, teens seem to have nuanced views. Only 20 percent of surveyed teens considered it acceptable to use ChatGPT for essay writing, while nearly 70 percent found it acceptable for researching new topics.
While there have been instances of chatbot cheating, as reported by a California history teacher, Christine Meade, who observed it among 12th graders, allowing controlled use of A.I. tools in certain research projects changed the dynamic. This suggests that appropriate integration and guidance can potentially mitigate concerns surrounding A.I. chatbot usage in education.
