University of Utah outlines how students should utilize ChatGPT's AI technology

Artificial intelligence service ChatGPT is pictured on a computer in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, in this photo illustration. Artificial intelligence is advancing to the point where it can literally complete assignments and write essays for students — and that poses quite a conundrum for education entities, including the University of Utah.

Artificial intelligence service ChatGPT is pictured on a computer in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, in this photo illustration. Artificial intelligence is advancing to the point where it can literally complete assignments and write essays for students — and that poses quite a conundrum for education entities, including the University of Utah. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Artificial intelligence is advancing to the point where it can literally complete assignments and write essays for students — and that poses quite a conundrum for education entities.

The rise of certain systems — such as OpenAI's ChatGPT — has led the University of Utah to issue a statement to its student body outlining guidance and expectations about how such tools might be used appropriately when it comes to student work.

ChatGPT is part of a new generation of AI systems that can converse, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what it's learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media, according to the Associated Press.

"Recently, a new set of tools that utilize artificial intelligence to generate computer code, math problem results, written and visual content from a series of prompts have become more widely available. There are many possibilities for using and examining these tools related to education efforts and inquiry," said a letter to the U. student body from Lori McDonald, vice president of student affairs, and T. Chase Hagood, dean of undergraduate studies.

"Also, these tools may be used to complete assignments, exams and other academic efforts without proper attribution or an indication that they have been used," the letter continues.

Something that sets ChatGPT apart from, say, a conventional search engine, is that it is able to generate its own, unique and original answers based on the information it has consumed.

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In January, Forbes shared a list of schools that have taken action in hopes of curbing the use of ChatGPT for schoolwork:

  • A representative for Seattle Public Schools told Geekwire the district banned ChatGPT from all school devices, citing the district "does not allow cheating and requires original thought and work from students."
  • The Los Angeles Unified School District was one of the first districts to block the site on Dec. 12 — a spokesperson told the Washington Post the ban was put in place to "protect academic honesty."
  • New York City Public Schools (the largest school district in the country) banned ChatGPT in early January, due to concerns over cheating and that the tool doesn't help "build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills," Jenna Lyle, the deputy press secretary of the New York City Department of Education, said in a statement.
  • Washington, D.C., news station WTOP reported Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia banned ChatGPT on all county-issued devices in January.
  • According to FOX Business, public schools in Alabama's Montgomery County have blocked access to the site as well, and officials are mapping out "guidance for teachers and staff as it relates to readiness in their classrooms."

The U.'s letter explained how ChatGPT should be used for student work, which is explained as any activities, assignments or practices to be evaluated, graded, given feedback on and received college credit in some way.

"Students should seek guidance from their instructors before utilizing AI generative tools for assignments," the letter said. "Faculty members will provide specific policies relating to using such tools for their courses as it makes sense for how and what learning looks like in those courses."

It also outlined that if a student uses ChatGPT for creative work, the student will need to "make evident any portion of the work generated by the AI tool and which AI tool they used."

"The U anticipates new waves of remarkable creativity and curiosity among faculty, staff, and students — there has never been a more exciting time to be at an R1 university!" the letter read.

On Wednesday, OpenAI released a detection tool that it says can help teachers determine if text was written by a student or an algorithm, though it says the system is not foolproof.

Contributing: Art Raymond

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Logan Stefanich is a reporter with KSL.com, covering southern Utah communities, education, business and tech news.

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