Is Using AI Cheating? The Question is Dividing the World of Higher Education

The excitement surrounding ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools is causing concern in the academic world. On July 4, the 24 higher education institutions in the Russell Group, including the London School of Economics, Imperial College London and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, published their principles on the use of generative AI tools in education. The Russell Group members said they will help their students and staff become familiar with generative artificial intelligence tools, to help them become “leaders in an increasingly AI-enabled world.” They will adapt their teaching and assessment techniques to take advantage of the possibilities offered by this software when it comes to academic teaching and learning. Drawn up with the help of UK education and artificial intelligence specialists, the document highlights the need to monitor the “effectiveness, fairness and ethical implications of the integration of generative AI tools into academic life.” This is a view shared by Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group. This statement of principles underlines our commitment to doing so in a way that benefits students and staff and protects the integrity of the high-quality education Russell Group universities provide,” he said in a statement.