ChatGPT cheating ‘challenge’ to impact Queensland schools

Concerns remain over students still being able to use a controversial artificial intelligence program that has been banned in Queensland state schools to cheat.

Queensland has banned controversial artificial intelligence program ChatGPT in its state schools but concerns remain around preventing it being used to cheat.

A department of education spokesman confirmed ChatGPT had been blocked for all students on its network until it could be “fully assessed for its appropriateness in a school setting”.

The spokesman said potential misuse of artificial intelligence by students was an “emerging challenge” for all educational environments.

The program has been a hot topic in the digital world since its launch in November last year with expert views mixed over whether it should be embraced or restricted by educators.

Queensland and NSW have temporarily black-listed the program while New York City’s department of education imposed a similar ban.

ChatGPT, which composes human-like writing in response to prompts or instructions, will be subject to a review in Queensland.

“The department operates an internet content filtering system which continually assesses online content and automatically blocks content that may be a risk to students,” the spokesman said.

“The review will consider if this remains the best approach to responding to ChatGPT.”

The program has been a hot topic in the digital world since its launch in November last year. Picture: Nicolas Tucat / AFP

Concerns remain over the program potentially being used by students for homework and assessment purposes, which could be considered academic misconduct or a technology violation.

The spokesman said educating students regarding the pitfalls of plagiarism was an important part in preparing students for life after school.

He said Queensland schools used software to check for plagiarism and it was currently being enhanced to better detect the use of AI in developing assignments and essays.

“Schools generally develop their own policies regarding the use of AI by students, with guidance and advice available from the department,” he said.

“These policies should outline the acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI as well as any consequences for violating these guidelines.

“It is also important for schools to educate students about the ethical and academic implications of using AI to complete assignments.”

It comes after the Islamic College of Brisbane announced it had embraced the technology as part of its curriculum, allowing the chatbot to become a teaching aid.

Griffith University education expert Dr Chris Bigum said the likes of ChatGPT will pose challenges for both teachers and students.

Dr Bigum said it would take teachers and students time to come to terms in how best to make sound educational use of the services.

“Developing complementary skills will be an important part of coming to terms with it,” Dr Bigum said.

“There will be a range of responses and it will vary a lot from discipline to discipline.

“For example, ChatGPT can write computer code which can be sound and sometimes rubbish. As a new part of the education ecosystem, being able to have good conversations with students will be crucial.”