Student Blog: AI's Effect on Academic Dishonesty

As the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to permeate various facets of education, its impact on academic dishonesty has become a subject of intense scrutiny. The advent of advanced technologies has not only transformed the learning landscape but has also presented novel challenges in maintaining academic integrity. From sophisticated plagiarism detection tools to AI-powered essay generators, the evolving intersection of technology and academia raises pertinent questions about the ethical dimensions of student conduct. This article explores the multifaceted effects of AI on academic dishonesty, delving into the intricate ways in which these technological advancements both shape and challenge the traditional norms of scholarly integrity.

That entire introduction paragraph was written by asking ChatGPT, an openAI website, to write me an introduction paragraph for an article on AI’s effects on academic honesty. You never would have known. The grammar is all correct, the sentences are well structured, using advanced, scholarly vocabulary. Now, imagine you are a student who is asked to write an essay in your English class. You could either spend time designing and typing the essay or you could simply have a robot write you an article in mere seconds. This is a huge problem in our country. According to Pew Research Center, 1 in 5 students use ChatGPT to complete their schoolwork in the US. Not only does this violate numerous school academic honesty codes, it is stunting our students' academic growth, creates a lack of trust in the student-teacher relationship, and decreases productivity among teens. 

Since the recent developments in AI, I have seen first hand the effect it has on both students and teachers. Many students see an easy way to quickly complete their assignments, whereas teachers see it as a way to feed into student’s laziness and is a prime example of academic dishonesty. This year more than ever,I have noticed teachers take extra precaution to prevent the usage of AI on assessments. All of my essays have been written on a locked Google form or paper with no access to cellular devices. Every essay, every classwork is sent through a plagiarism checker. While these precautions are necessary, they are not always as effective as we would like them to be. 

Academic honesty is a huge value of mine. I believe that it is a testament to my knowledge and hard work I put into all my assignments. I think that it is simply unfair if I earned the same grade on an essay as someone who simply asked a robot to do it for them. School is one of my top priorities. I actually enjoy learning and that feeling of pride when earning an A on an assignment. Academic validation motivates me and drives me in my day to day life.I am not sure what the solution is or if there is any at all to stop students from using AI to do their schoolwork for them, however, I remain optimistic that schools will remain cautious of AI and the harm it is invoking on our students.