Artificial intelligence, or AI, has recently appeared in schools, including Woodgrove. AI writing generator websites like ChatGPT can write essays in minutes, and its increasing amount of usage has some teachers and faculty worried.

ChatGPT is a website that can generate a detailed and specific response to any question using data from online libraries to generate argumentative or opinionated essays in minutes. According to CNN, the website’s answers were good enough to pass some law exams.

AI raises concerns about plagiarism. Ms. Andrea Elbaum, who teaches 11th and 12th grade English, says, “An AI generated essay will have good grammar, but can often be recognized [because] the responses that the AI generates is not really relevant to the question that’s being proposed. There’s certain nuances with the phrasing that make it apparent that it’s been AI generated.” 

While using a website like ChatGPT to write an overdue homework assignment sounds appealing, according to Assistant Principal Ms. Thompson, it is considered cheating, which is against Woodgrove’s Honor Code. Ms.Elbaum said, “For teachers, we realize it’s not going to go away.” 

There are ways to use ChatGPT that are not considered plagiarism, such as to provide models, feedback, or brainstorming. In addition, teachers can use AI to make engaging student lessons.