The use of Artificial Intelligence is revolutionary, defining new pathways in various aspects of the modern era including education. AI provides opportunities like efficient tools of learning and digital grading systems, but at the same time, it carries crucial challenges, specifically in maintaining academic integrity. It is concerning in the current age that AI platforms ease the content generation process and facilitate students in submission of plagiarized assignments.
Like other countries, the use of AI has become popular in academic institutions in Pakistan as it offers multiple tools that help students in their studies, ranging from searching data to complex problem-solving. Though, the ability of AI to generate text like humans is the most debatable aspect of AI in the education sector. Various tools such as Perplexity, Open AI’s Chat GPT and GPT4 can write content including essays, and data reports, even users can generate research papers by putting minimal effort. This resulted in significant ease for students to produce and submit class assignments that are not written by them. This situation is blurring the line between AI content and original work.
Overall, the culture of producing and submitting AI-generated assignments is a complex matter and we all are in the midst of a change with less preparation. By focusing on the importance of emerging technologies, education, and relevant policies, teachers can ensure that academic institutions maintain their position as places where integrity, authenticity, and creativity prevail
The consequences of this culture are influencing not only students but also academic and social values. Plagiarism is not a new matter in academia but this dawn of AI has aggravated this issue. Students under different pressures, such as meeting deadlines, and securing high grades may be attracted to use of AI websites and generating content in less time. Such short-cut behaviour is not only against ethics but also undermines the central principle of education, that encompasses critical thinking, learning skills, and originality.
There are other factors contributing to this culture of plagiarized work submissions. The modern education system has become highly competitive and may pressurize students to get high grades. The specific pressure may result in students finding more convenient ways, including Artificial Intelligence tools. Another factor may be that students are unaware of the severity of plagiarism and its consequences if they are caught. This lack of awareness can be due to insufficient education on academic honesty. Moreover, AI plugins are plug-and-play tools and easily accessible and students can generate content on any topic by using these tools. Students are further encouraged to take the risk of submitting plagiarized assignments because AI-generated content is very sophisticated and it becomes difficult for teachers to differentiate between human-generated and AI-generated text.
To cope with the increasingly rising submission of plagiarized assignments, different tools have been invented to trace AI-generated content. Various tools, such as Copyleaks AI detector and, the AI detector of Turnitin, can be integrated with universities’ LMS systems to detect AI-generated content as soon as students upload assignments on LMS. These tools are designed to check similarity text against available sources and can generate AI plagiarism reports. Universities in Pakistan need to install AI detectors in teachers’ LMS accounts, so they can easily check the originality of assignments. The majority of faculty in Pakistani universities don’t have access to plagiarism-detecting software, resulting in the marking of plagiarized assignments.
Besides technical aspects, the trust between teachers and students is very important. This trust is eroded when students make it a continuous practice to submit plagiarized content. In this case, teachers will require more time to check plagiarism than concentrating on their role as instructors and mentors. This will result in an ineffective learning environment in the classroom and may weaken student-teacher relationships.
The use of AI-generated content in universities also reflects a social issue related to basic ethical standards. If there is no policy to stop students from submitting AI-generated content, it may set a pattern that may range beyond academic to professional life. The future requires humans who are critical thinkers, creative problem solvers, and effective communicators. Students are not learning these important skills because of their reliance on AI tools. This will affect their efficiency and overall work environment.
The constant use of AI in academia resulted in important concerns regarding technological ethics. It is a need of the time for universities to devise clear guidelines and policies to protect societal values regarding authenticity. Academic policymakers need to indulge themselves in the formulation of policies to balance the use of AI with academic integrity.
Academic institutions and faculty can adopt several strategies to address the issue of plagiarized assignments. Workshops or seminars regarding academic honesty and the effects of plagiarism are necessary, where students can be educated about the importance of originality. In-class assignments, discussions, and oral presentations should be part of the semester rundown to evaluate students in real time.
This approach will also help teachers in maintaining academic integrity. Teachers may design assignment questions in a way that can encourage students towards brainstorming and creativity. Such assignments may include project-based learning, feedback methods, and peer reviews that focus on authenticity and efforts more than meeting the deadline.
As Artificial Intelligence is evolving with each passing day, it is important to go ahead of the curve regarding the detection and prevention of plagiarized content. The plan of OpenAI to add watermarks in AI-generated content will definitely enhance the detection strategies. This option will attach statistical designs behind the choice of words and punctuation, and this will make it more convenient to identify AI-generated content. Still, continuous development in algorithms regarding AI content is needed to tackle the pace of complexity of AI-generated content. The use of AI in academia may demand broader reforms in how we see teaching and learning. This may include skills that cannot be automated easily, like critical thinking, empathy, and creativity. With these skills, teachers can make students ready for a future where AI is expected to dominate.
Overall, the culture of producing and submitting AI-generated assignments is a complex matter and we all are in the midst of a change with less preparation. By focusing on the importance of emerging technologies, education, and relevant policies, teachers can ensure that academic institutions maintain their position as places where integrity, authenticity, and creativity prevail.
The writer is a faculty member at the Department of Media & Communication Studies, GC University, Lahore. He can be contacted at [email protected]
