It’s bold, and there are caveats, but Ohio State University has become the first major US academic institution to fully embrace artificial intelligence. All of its students will be required to train and “be fluent” in AI.
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Ohio State University says all of its students will be using AI later this year and combining the tech with conventional learning.
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Students will not be allowed to use generative AI to pass off assignments as their own work, and faculty staff will be advised on how to maintain academic integrity.
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The problem is that professors don’t really know how to catch students cheating with AI because these new tools are constantly improving.
According to the university, this is a bold and “ambitious” AI fluency initiative to redefine learning and innovation that will embed AI into core undergraduate requirements and majors.
Although the world still hasn’t found a way to ensure that students don’t use AI for cheating, the institution seems determined to ensure that “every student will graduate with the AI proficiencies necessary to compete and lead now.”
“Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we live, work, teach and learn. In the not-so-distant future, every job, in every industry, is going to be impacted in some way by AI,” said Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.
“Ohio State has an opportunity and responsibility to prepare students to not just keep up, but lead in this workforce of the future.”
The provost, Ravi Bellamkonda, added that Ohio State’s initiative will make students “bilingual” – fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area. Initial steps of implementing the program will begin in autumn 2025.
Ohio State says it cares about the quality of learning, though, and the new initiative covers ethical and responsible use of AI in the classroom. Students will not be allowed to use generative AI to pass off assignments as their own work, and faculty staff will be advised on how to maintain academic integrity.
The problem, of course, is that professors don’t really know how to catch students cheating with AI because these new tools are constantly improving.
Mashable just had a great piece about AI and cheating, saying that even when academics can tell that AI has been used to cheat on an assignment, there’s just no good way to prove it.
AI detectors such as GPTZero exist but they’re not exactly reliable, producing false positives. Essentially, AI technology is new, which means the detectors are also new, and we don’t have much research available on their efficacy.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center found 26% of teenagers used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024. That’s twice as many as in 2023.
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