Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology

REVEALED: How to get away with ai generated essays - The Real Truth

Illustration shows ChatGPT logo and AI Artificial Intelligence words
‘Let there be real chat between teachers and students rather than ChatGPT,’ says one reader. Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

No wonder Robert Topinka found himself in a quandary (The software says my student cheated using AI. They say they’re innocent. Who do I believe?, 13 February). To test ChatGPT’s abilities and weaknesses, I asked it to write a short essay on a particular topic that I specialised in. Before looking at what it produced, I wrote my own 100% original short essay on the same topic. I then submitted both pieces to ChatGPT and asked it to identify whether they were written by AI or a human. It immediately identified the first piece as AI-generated. But then it also said that my essay “was probably generated by AI”.

I concluded that if you write well, in logical, appropriate and grammatically correct English, then the chances are that it will be deemed to be AI-generated. To avoid detection, write badly.
Prof Paul Kleiman
Truro, Cornwall

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.