Artificial intelligence is getting better at writing, and universities should worry about plagiarism; The Conversation, November 4, 2021

Michael Mindzak and Sarah Elaine Eaton , The Conversation; Artificial intelligence is getting better at writing, and universities should worry about plagiarism

"The dramatic rise of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlit concerns about the role of technology in exam surveillance — and also in student cheating. 

Some universities have reported more cheating during the pandemic, and such concerns are unfolding in a climate where technologies that allow for the automation of writing continue to improve.

Over the past two years, the ability of artificial intelligence to generate writing has leapt forward significantly, particularly with the development of what’s known as the language generator GPT-3. With this, companies such as Google, Microsoft and NVIDIA can now produce “human-like” text.

AI-generated writing has raised the stakes of how universities and schools will gauge what constitutes academic misconduct, such as plagiarism. As scholars with an interest in academic integrity and the intersections of work, society and educators’ labour, we believe that educators and parents should be, at the very least, paying close attention to these significant developments."

A whole class of Georgia state troopers was fired after cheating on an exam; The Washington Post, January 30, 2020

Lateshia Beachum , The Washington Post; A whole class of Georgia state troopers was fired after cheating on an exam

 

"An entire class of Georgia state troopers was compelled to hand over their badges after investigators found that they had cheated on an academy radar test, officials say.

 

Thirty members of the 106th Georgia State Patrol trooper class were removed from the force after an investigation found all of them had cheated on an exam that tests cadets on how to operate speed-detection technology."

Not Everyone’s Hero; Inside Higher Ed, 11/11/16

Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed; Not Everyone’s Hero:

"Course Hero has in the past banned users for repeatedly violating its honor code -- which states, “[Don’t] use Course Hero materials or tutors to complete assignments when instructed not to use outside help” -- and its terms of service, though Mork did not say how many times users can violate those policies. The company also uses technology that detects and blocks students from posting content that has previously been removed in response to a DMCA takedown request.

The technology doesn’t detect copyright violations before the material is posted, however. In Gollin’s case, for example, each page of the homework assignment was marked with copyright language."

Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto plagiarized thesis for law degree: report; Associated Press in Mexico City via Guardian, 8/22/16

Associated Press in Mexico City via Guardian; Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto plagiarized thesis for law degree: report:

"President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico heavily plagiarized the thesis for his law degree, according to an investigation by a local news outlet...

It said 29% of the thesis was material lifted from other works, including 20 paragraphs copied word-for-word from a book written by former president Miguel de la Madrid without citation or mention in the bibliography...

In 2006, a scholar at the Brookings Institution found that now-Russian president Vladimir Putin in earning his graduate degree had copied pages of material from a book written by two American professors.

In 2012, Hungary’s President Pal Schmitt – whose role was largely ceremonial – resigned after a scandal over his doctoral dissertation.

Earlier this year, a German university decided to let the country’s defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, keep her doctorate after plagiarized passages were found in her dissertation."