Universities ban chatbot over essay cheating fears

UNIVERSITIES are understood to be banning the use of CHATGPT over fears students are using it to write essays.

Scientists have found that the chatbot, made by Openai in Silicon Valley, is able to pass the US doctor exam, can write scientific articles and will probably be able to pass the bar exam in the next 18 months.

Educators have been grappling with how to use the tool and whether access should be encouraged or curbed since it went live online before Christmas.

Mike Sharples, emeritus professor of educational technology at the Open University, said that anecdotal evidence indicates students at UK universities are using it to complete assignments.

“Some universities are already banning the use of CHATGPT but it’s going to be very hard to detect whether students are using [it],” he said.

Prof Sharples, who co-authored the book Story Machines: How Computers have Become Writers, added: “It is not about whether CHATGPT is inherently good or bad, but whether it’s used for good or for bad.”