Can AI Write Ethical Essays as Well as Medical Students?

October 30, 2024

The rise of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT by OpenAI and Bard (now known as Gemini) by Google LLC has revolutionized the realm of artificial intelligence, especially in its potential applications for writing. As AI technology continues to evolve, questions arise about its capability to perform tasks that were once considered uniquely human. This article explores whether AI systems can write ethical essays on par with medical students, drawing from a cross-sectional study conducted at the University of Split School of Medicine.

The use of AI for generating essays, including those on complex subjects like ethical dilemmas, has both promising potential and significant concerns. While AI can generate coherent and contextually appropriate text rapidly, its impact on education and academic integrity remains contentious. The influx of AI-generated content has led institutions to reconsider traditional assessment methods and introduce stricter guidelines for AI usage.

The Advent of AI Writing Tools

The introduction of AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard has significantly influenced various sectors, including education. These LLMs create human-like text based on given prompts, which makes them valuable for generating essay ideas, writing assistance, and more. Since their debut, their accessibility has raised concerns about misuse in academic settings, prompting calls for guidelines and policies concerning AI use.

Notable organizations, such as the European University Association and Open Universities Australia, have recommended guidelines for the ethical use of AI in education. Despite these recommendations, many institutions are still struggling to establish clear policies. For instance, as of mid-2023, over 60% of the UK’s top universities lacked explicit AI policies, and a UNESCO survey revealed that less than 10% of schools and universities globally had formal AI usage policies.

The ability of LLMs to produce high-quality content that can even pass stringent exams, such as law and medical exams in the USA, intensifies concerns about academic integrity. There’s a discernible fear that students might use AI to compose entire essays, obscuring the line between human and machine-generated content. This situation challenges educators to find effective ways to detect AI-generated texts.

Ethical Concerns and Academic Integrity

AI detection tools like Originality.AI and GPTZero are employed to identify likely AI-generated essays. These tools analyze the text for patterns and structures typical of AI, but their effectiveness varies, particularly when students edit AI-generated drafts to make them appear more authentic. Despite these measures, the ethical implications of using AI in academic work continue to spark debate. Can an AI-generated essay truly reflect the nuanced understanding and personal reflection expected in disciplines such as medical humanities?

The study conducted at the University of Split’s School of Medicine aimed to compare human-written essays with those generated by ChatGPT and Bard. The essays focused on ethical, professional, or moral dilemmas encountered by medical students. Researchers used specified keywords extracted from student essays to create prompts for generating AI essays.

Comparing Human and AI-Generated Essays

Analysis through LIWC 22 software revealed distinct linguistic and psychometric differences between human and AI-generated texts. Human-written essays generally contained longer sentences and higher scores for cognitive processes, reflecting deeper reflective thinking. In contrast, AI essays exhibited more positive emotional language and scored higher on affective measures. AI essays showed higher scores in categories like “Affect” due to their positive emotional language and “Analytical Thinking,” especially in texts generated by ChatGPT.

The structure and flow of AI essays often appeared more rigid and formulaic compared to the nuanced and complex sentence structures of human-written essays. Despite these identifiable differences, AI technology’s ability to mimic human writing does raise fundamental questions about its role in education. Students’ modifications to AI-generated essays can further blur the distinctions, complicating detection and raising ethical questions about academic submissions.

Implications for Educational Practices

Given the formidable capabilities of AI, educational institutions must rethink traditional assessment methods. Continued reliance on essay-based evaluations might require significant adaptation to ensure academic integrity. This could include introducing handwritten exams, oral assessments, and other innovative methods to evaluate student understanding authentically.

The study underscores the importance of clear guidelines and policies regarding AI use in education. The potential for AI to aid in learning is immense, but so are the risks of misuse. Balancing these aspects is crucial for leveraging AI’s benefits while maintaining rigorous academic standards. For example, encouraging transparent use of AI for brainstorming and initial drafts while emphasizing personal input in final submissions might offer a balanced approach.

Future Directions in AI and Education

Future research should involve human evaluators to compare AI-generated content with student submissions more granularly. Enhanced AI detection tools and robust guidelines will be pivotal in ensuring that the academic integrity of essays remains uncompromised. As AI technology advances, educational paradigms will need to evolve, emphasizing the development of sophisticated evaluation techniques and ethical guidelines.

The findings of this study provide crucial insights into the capabilities and limitations of AI in academic contexts. They reveal the nuanced challenges and opportunities presented by integrating AI into educational practices and highlight the need for innovative solutions to uphold the integrity and reliability of academic assessments. Embracing AI with clear ethical boundaries and advanced detection technologies could lead to a more balanced and productive academic environment.

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