There’s a new epidemic in 2023, and it’s artificial intelligence (AI) generators. Wherever you look on TikTok and Instagram, everyone’s talking about some new form of it. And honestly, its evolution is terrifying. Although celebrities like Grimes have (infamously) tried to convince their followers of the positive impact of AI, many regard it to be dystopian and harmful — and rightfully so. AI-produced art and writing takes opportunities away from real creatives, as well as steals from other people’s work, according to Science Alert.
But the newest scandal in the world of AI has to do with academics. Thanks to AI platforms like GPT-3 and ChatGPT, some students have been relying on computers and AI generators to write their essays for them. While using AI for this purpose is a clear violation of plagiarism rules, it also denies students the opportunity to grow intellectually. Obviously, AI makes matters complicated for professors, too. Nowadays, it’s getting harder to tell what’s AI-generated and what’s made by an actual human being. To save the future of academic honesty, schools are cracking down on the use of ChatGPT and GPT-3. And they can owe it all to a single app.
Alerted by the misuse of AI in school settings, 22-year-old Princeton student Edward Tian developed an app called GPTZero to detect computer-generated essays. He said on Twitter that he programmed GPTZero in hopes of confronting the “increasing AI plagiarism” brought on largely by ChatGPT.
While Tian mentioned that professors have thanked him for his contributions, he also acknowledged that the app isn’t always completely accurate. Still, you have to marvel at all that GPTZero can do. Once those minor bugs are resolved, GPTZero can provide an even faster and more reliable resource for professors to turn to.
Though AI marks a period of technological advancement, it simultaneously strips people of their individuality, as well as their ability to learn as students. Sure, AI might help you earn an A on your assignment. (UK professor Mike Sharples tested the efficiency of GPT-3 out himself and received a “graduate-level” paper. But at the end of the day, AI-authored papers are not reflective of your own ideas. Very few people enjoy writing essays, but at least they give students a means of expressing their opinions and creativity. And if everyone turned to AI to do the writing for them, what would happen then? It may sound dramatic to say that “originality will die,” but frankly, it isn’t out of the question.
All you need to do as a student is embrace your writing, no matter how much you might hate it. It doesn’t matter if it was clearly written at 2 a.m. or written two weeks late. As long as your work was written by you, you’re disproving the need for AI plagiarists, one paper at a time.