-
-
MHS English teacher Amy Warren lectures in one of her literature classes. (Photo by Clara Noel)
-
-
(Graphic by Clara Noel)
MHS English teacher Amy Warren lectures in one of her literature classes. (Photo by Clara Noel)
Parkersburg — OpenAI released a new program in early March.
The program, called ChatGPT, stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer. ChatGPT is a language processing program powered by AI (artificial intelligence) technology that provides tools for human-like conversations. This AI can answer questions in a human-like way and provide answers to specific topics. For example, the following interview.
Question: Who created you?
Answer: I was created by OpenAI, a team of artificial intelligence developers and researchers.
Q: Why did they make you?
(Graphic by Clara Noel)
A: I was created to assist and enhance human ability in a variety of tasks, especially language processing and communication. As an AI language model developed by OpenAI, my main aim is to become a tool that helps humans achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively.
Q: Can I lie or give false information?
A: As an AI language model, it is programmed to return a response based on the input it is given. No ability to lie or knowingly provide false information. My answer is generated based on the algorithm and data provided.
Q: Where do I get information?
A: As an AI language model, it is trained on a large dataset of texts from various sources such as books, articles, and websites. I do not have personal experience or access to current events, so I rely on information provided within the text to generate answers. I am completely operating within the programming that governs my actions.
Q: Did you know that students are using you to write their essays?
A: Yes, as an AI language model, I am aware that some students may use me to generate essay content. However, it is important to note that such activity is unethical and contrary to the principles of academic integrity. Students are always encouraged to use their own ideas and knowledge to create original work.
While the truth about how students are using AI is unknown, there are ways teachers can combat the use of AI plagiarism.
Regular plagiarism software doesn’t work on ChatGPT or other AI-written texts. OpenAI has developed software that addresses this issue. OpenAI has released GPT-2 Output Detector for ChatGPT. GPT-2 Output Detector can detect any passage written by any AI originating from OpenAI.
“This is just another step in the already long and time-consuming essay grading process.” said Amy Warren, an English teacher at Marietta High School.
ChatGPT could solve some problems invisible to the modern eye.
“I think there are more problems than the tools currently available when it comes to writing essays.” Warren said. “We already have students who plagiarize, and it’s been a problem for decades. I think ChatGPT simply makes plagiarism easier.”
Warren doesn’t see ChatGPT as a high school-level classroom tool, but he can imagine it being used for other purposes. She said her husband has used it to create cartoon characters for youth events at the church they attend.
“It might be easier to incorporate it into elementary school education.” Warren said.
Warren agrees that he doesn’t fully understand ChatGPT’s capabilities, but he is firm in his stance of using ChatGPT as an academic resource for essays.
“As I always say, your essay is only as good as the support you use. As a student, you are no expert in most of the fields you write. The only reliable place to get it is from academic databases.” Warren said.
ChatGPT is not an academic database. AI obtains information from unknown sources, scholarly or apprentices, and while that information may be true, the information it provides cannot be considered academic.
