The rapid development of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), has brought many benefits to our daily lives. However, this technological advance is not without consequences for academic integrity. In the age of AI, the opportunities for cheating have multiplied, challenging educational institutions.

In this academic context, a central question persists: is using ChatGPT cheating?
We'll be answering this question in this article, to find out whether using chatgpt can be considered cheating, or even plagiarism. We'll also explore fidings and solutions to preserve academic integrity.

Contents:

New Tools for Generating Poorly Controlled Textual Content

Is Using ChatGPT Cheating?

Is Using ChatGPT Considered Plagiarism?

What are the Academic Dangers of ChatGPT?

Solutions for Preserving Academic Integrity

1. New Tools for Generating Textual Content that are Poorly Mastered

Traditional Cheating VS Cheating in the Age of AI

Cheating has always existed in educational environments, but AI has added a new dimension to the problem. "Traditional cheating" often involves copying work without crediting the author - plagiarism.

AI now offers new possibilities. Students can use AI-based tools to generate content. Students believe that the answers provided by text-generating AI are original and free from plagiarism. And that's the problem.

Ignorance of the Nature of the Content Generated by ChatGPT

ChatGPT does not cite its sources most of the time.

It rephrases, uses quotations and copies the authors' writing style without crediting them. This is considered plagiarism. This is the problem for authors, but also for researchers, teachers and students.

"GPT templates can unintentionally facilitate plagiarism by generating content that closely resembles existing works without proper attribution. This can lead to ethical and legal problems, particularly in academic, journalistic or creative contexts. (...) whether the intellectual property rights belong to the user, the creators of the model or a combination of both.

Finally, in some cases, GPT models can be trained on proprietary or confidential data, which can lead to the unauthorised use or disclosure of sensitive information."
"The Dark Side of the Moon" by ChatGPT, Alain Goudey, 16/03/2023.

The Reasons Behind Cheating in the Age of AI

Several factors may be contributing to the rise in cheating with ChatGPT. Firstly, increasing academic pressure is prompting some students to look for quick ways to get good grades, whatever the consequences.

In addition, the ease of access to text-generating AI encourages students to use it without really understanding how to do so with integrity.

Finally, the feeling that "no one will be able to tell that the text was written by ChatGPT" reduces the perception of the risks and penalties associated with cheating.

2. Is Using ChatGPT Cheating?

This brings us to the fateful question. Is using ChatGPT cheating?

The question is vast. Let's stay within the academic framework for a slightly more focused answer as to whether using chatgpt or other AI Chatbots is considered academic cheating.

The answer is: it depends.

It depends on your institution's legal and regulatory framework.

If, for example, this framework prohibits any use of ChatGPT in your assignments, the use is cheating.
If the regulatory framework allows it, the use is not systematically considered as cheating.

Generally speaking, we consider the use of ChatGPT to be cheating if it is not cited or if the use of chatgpt is not authorized by your institution.

3. Is Using ChatGPT Considered Plagiarism?

Another question slightly different from the last one. For us, not really, but it comes close.

Using ChatGPT, to copy content, is not plagiarism in the sense that the content created can be authentic, just as it can be pumped by ChatGPT from another source. So using ChatGPT fraudulently, outside the establishment's regulatory framework and without mentioning it, is not systematically plagiarism, but can be a different form of cheating.

Why this distinction?

Differentiation is important in defining the legal framework and consequences of ChatGPT use.
The consequences and penalties for fraudulent use of ChatGPT may differ from consequences of plagiarism, depending on the institution's regulatory framework.

Remember that plagiarism is punishable by law and by the vast majority of educational establishments. Examples of sanctions: cancellation of an exam, expulsion from the school.
We can imagine that penalties linked to fraudulent use of chatgpt may be similar or harsher.

If you're a student, check your school's regulations before using ChatGPT. If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to discuss them with your teachers.

4. What are the Academic Dangers of ChatGPT?

in addition to the dangers linked to sanctions and punishments to be determined according to the regulatory framework of the establishment (exam cancellation, repeating the year, sanction...), There are academic dangers to using ChatGPT, and they're linked to your learning!
Let's focus on 2 elements : misinformation and deficiency in developing your critical thinking skills.

Misinformation: the big flaw in ChatGPT and other generative AIs is the lack of reliable information. Generative AIs are very susceptible to being influenced by your prompt and can make mistakes, giving you false information!
This misinformation can stay with you for a very long time, altering or even distorting your vision of a subject, a concept, a sector of activity, entities, persons, etc.

Deficiency in developing your critical thinking skills: you need to develop your critical thinking skills during your studies. This is a very important element, because in the professional world you'll be asked to constantly challenge your work and be better. If you get into the habit of delegating this task to chatgpt, you run the risk of not developing this skill during your academic career. You'll have a much harder time developing it in a professional context, or worse still, you'll never develop it at all!

5. Solutions for Preserving Academic Integrity

How can I check whether a text comes from an AI? Is ChatGPT detectable? Despite the challenges, several solutions can be implemented to preserve academic integrity in the age of AI.

Even though using ChatGPT carries risks and can be considered cheating, there are solutions to use ChatGPT in a healthy and constructive way without being accused of fraudulent use, thus preserving academic integrity.

Raising Awareness of Authenticity

First of all, it is essential to make students aware of the consequences of cheating and to promote a culture of intellectual honesty. Academic integrity education programmes can help students understand the fundamental values of ethics and integrity.

Secondly, the pedagogical approach can be adapted to encourage authentic learning and creativity. By focusing on tasks that involve critical thinking, the application of knowledge and problem solving, teachers can reduce the incentive to cheat.

Finally, plagiarism detection tools need to be improved to identify advanced forms of AI-based cheating. Content generated by ChatGPT is detectable by an AI Checker or ChatGPT Detector. Institutions need to invest in sophisticated detection systems that can spot suspicious similarities and indicators of cheating.

Compilatio already offers this service.

Training on Citing Generative AI as a Source

How to cite the use of ChatGPT?

When using ChatGPT in an academic assignment, it is important to cite it to avoid being accused of cheating.

To do this, you need to follow the appropriate citation standards for your field of study or your institution's specific guidelines. If there are no standards, you can choose how you cite your source. It must be identical for all referenced sources.

Example of ChatGPT citation in APA format

OpenAI. (Year). ChatGPT [Computer software]. Retrieved from https://www.openai.com/research/chatgpt

Example of ChatGPT citation in MLA format

OpenAI. "ChatGPT." Computer software. OpenAI, year. Web. [Retrieval date]. https://www.openai.com/research/chatgpt

It is important to mention the sources used in your academic work to credit the creators of ChatGPT.

Detect Where AI is Used

Cheating in the AI age poses unique detection challenges. AI systems can generate sophisticated content that can be difficult to distinguish from genuine, personal work.

In addition, cut-and-paste content from ChatGPT may contain plagiarism and use unauthorised content, even if it is not systematic.

Plagiarism detection software makes it possible to find the sources associated with quotations, and many of these software include an AI detector to identify where AI is used.

If you are in university, do not hesitate to check your work in plagiarism software for students including an AI detector.

In the age of AI, cheating represents a major challenge to academic integrity. However, by raising student awareness, improving detection tools and promoting a pedagogical approach focused on authentic learning, we can preserve academic integrity. Collaboration between students, teachers and institutions is essential to meet this challenge and ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly in our educational environments.

To conclude, here is our ultimate checklist to use ChatGPT without rist of academic fraud accusations:

Check the regulations of your institution before using ChatGPT.
Verify the information generated by AI to avoid errors and biases.
Enrich AI-generated content with research from databases, specialized websites, studies, and other sources.
Add your personal reflection because it truly matters!
Cite your use of ChatGPT transparently.
If needed, check for AI detection using AI detection tools.

Go further:

"AI as a tool to assist teaching and learning", Compilatio

"Does ChatGPT plagiarize?", Compilatio

"Top 5 cons and disadvantages of AI in education", Compilatio

"Should ChatGPT Be Banned From Classrooms?", Bill Of Rights Institute.

"Exploring new opportunities with AI in education", Microsoft.

"We asked ChatGPT: Should Schools Ban You?", Education Week.

Information: this informative article, which does not require any personal reflection, was written in part with the help of ChatGPT. We have reworked the automatically-generated content (correcting repetitions, correcting turns of phrase, adding clarifications, adding quotations, checking the veracity of the information, etc.).

Is Using ChatGPT Cheating? What Are The Academic Dangers of ChatGPT?