This Week's News: Teachers Can't Identify AI-Written Texts

A week has passed, and here is a newsletter with the most important news on artificial intelligence and education.

In a new study, researchers from Germany conclude that teachers are challenged when assessing whether texts are written by artificial intelligence. Tim Dasey has also launched a petition to ban AI detectors, urging school leaders to prohibit the tools.

We also focus on Skolebot, a new service where pupils can work with guided language models. At the same time, a new text-to-music model has arrived that almost generates studio-produced music – if you teach music subjects, be ready to be surprised.

Lilach Mollick joins IT-vest’s webinar on 2 May, and it will be very interesting to hear her thoughts on how teachers can harness the strengths and opportunities of artificial intelligence.

Scientific analysis of teachers’ ability to identify texts written by AI

A new article from Germany, to be published in the journal Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence in June 2024, examines teachers’ ability to identify AI-generated texts submitted by their students. The study analysed the ability of novice and very experienced teachers to detect AI-generated assignments, and it shows that both groups are challenged and cannot reliably detect AI-generated texts. However, the study also shows that experienced teachers are more accurate in their judgements. Another interesting finding is that both groups are very confident in their conclusions.

The article concludes that with quite limited knowledge of prompting techniques, artificial intelligence can generate texts that are not traceable by teachers. It also concludes that AI-generated texts tend to be assessed more positively than student-written texts.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X24000109

Petition to ban AI detectors

Tim Dasey, who has, among other things, worked for MIT, has launched a petition to stop the many AI detectors that do not work. School leaders are therefore urged to ban the tools.
The rationale includes that many teachers mistakenly believe they can catch students using these tools, that it undermines academic integrity, that students are wrongly accused of cheating, and that the tools damage the crucial trust between teacher and student.

The website where you can sign links to a wide range of articles that discuss the problems with AI detectors and the consequences of relying on them.

Sign the Petition

Ban AI Writing Detection Software for Evaluating Student Work

Change.org

Skolebot - an opportunity to integrate language models into teaching

Skolebot is another service you can use to work with language models in teaching, and pupils do not need to log in to use the service. It is the Norwegian company Teklos AS behind it, and they also offer Swedish and Norwegian versions.

On Skolebot you will find a range of guided language models where pupils, for example, encounter a chatbot that can only ask questions, a pessimistic bot, or a version that builds a character. We find it very interesting that each chatbot has a fixed function that it cannot break out of. In addition to the pupil-facing part, there is also a teacher section that can help educators plan lessons.

Skolebot runs on European servers and is based on the Azure version of ChatGPT, which should make it safe for use in teaching. As always, it is a good idea to consult the school’s data protection officer (DPO) on whether the service may be used.

Skolebot - Free AI for schools.

Free artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT for schools. For both pupils and teachers.

Free AI for schools.

Udio: From text to studio-produced music

Last week we were impressed by a new service called Udio, which can turn text into music. Unlike earlier services such as, for example, Suno, the underlying model has become significantly better at composing music and adding vocals. It is almost so convincing that you do not notice that it is an AI behind it, although parts of the music can sound like a poorly compressed MP3 track.

This raises numerous questions, such as what the model has been trained on to become this good, and what it will mean for the music industry. This is music’s answer to ChatGPT, and everyone working with music will need to engage with the technology. You should therefore also bring the service into lessons if you teach music, just as you would with a completely new instrument.

Below we have collected some of the best tracks, but the quality is not always that high – just try again. Udio is in beta, and for now you can generate up to 600 songs for free if you create an account.

Udio | Make your music

Discover, create, and share music with the world.

Udio

ChatGPT-4 is being updated

OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT-4 Turbo to all paying customers. Among other things, it has improved performance in mathematics, logical reasoning, coding and writing.

Paid ChatGPT users can now access GPT-4 Turbo

OpenAI announced that GPT-4 Turbo is now available for all paid ChatGPT users.

EngadgetSarah Fielding

Webinar on 2 May 2024: Lilach Mollick from Wharton Interactive presents "Co-intelligence: AI and Instruction"

Lilach Mollick, Director of Pedagogy at Wharton Interactive, presents a range of tools and explains how teachers can leverage the strengths and opportunities of artificial intelligence. We are very much looking forward to the presentation from Lilach Mollick, who is one of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence and education.

The webinar is organised by It-vest (a network of collaborating universities). They publish many interesting webinars linked to special interest groups (SIGs) and focusing on how computational methods, understood as a new language, can renew teaching in various subjects. Read more below:

Webinar May 2: Co-intelligence: AI and Instruction

Webinar May 2: Co-intelligence: AI and Instruction

IT-vest

This week's news

The role of national supervisory authority for the EU AI Act is to be carried out by Digitaliseringsstyrelsen (the Danish Agency for Digital Government)

Digitaliseringsstyrelsen has been designated to serve as the national coordinating supervisory authority for the EU AI Act.

Logo

Artificial intelligence calls for methodological experimentation - not guidelines

ChatGPT reminds us what good teaching is: to make our students better at their subject and the thinking that underpins it. What can just as well be automated should be automated, so the energy in teaching can be used to develop students’ professional judgement.

VIA

We need a Germanic language model | Ingeniøren (The Engineer)

A Germanic language model should form the basis for a Danish language model for use cases that make sense, write two researchers from the project.

IngeniørenTorben Blach

How does ChatGPT respond to controversial topics?

Debate: If ChatGPT is to be used in school, pupils must learn how such language models work, and who has 'written the textbooks' for the chatbot.

Utdanningsnytt.noAndreas Brandsæter

Artificial intelligence in teaching | Uddannelsesbladet

Uddannelsesbladet

AI in the education system is a public matter* - Tænketanken TeknoEtik (Think Tank TeknoEtik) – teknoetik.org

Is it a given that AI will inevitably transform our entire education system, from kindergarten to higher education? No; it is a question that must be resolved through public debate, where specific advantages and disadvantages are weighed carefully, writes Ben Williamson, who here summarises 21 points of critique (with references).

Tænketanken TeknoEtik – teknoetik.orgBen Williamson*

Artificial intelligence will lead to a complete overhaul of our education sector

AI is a technology created by humans. Therefore, educators should also have the power to set the agenda.

JP/Politikens Hus A/STommy Dalegaard Madsen, Senior Lecturer at Københavns Professionshøjskole (Copenhagen University College) and chair of the teaching staff in Den akademiske fagforening – DM (the academic trade union, DM)

The questions we need to ask

Do we have research in Norway that is capable of asking the critical questions about the digitalisation of schooling?

DagsavisenJan Jørgen Skartveit, teacher and member of Oslo Ap (the Labour Party)

The university should acknowledge it: We do not have control over artificial intelligence

On 3 January 2023, Aarhus Universitet (Aarhus University) officially decided to take a position on the use of artificial intelligence, AI, at the university. This was done in the form of a digital announcement of just under 100 words, which ordered that any use of AI chatbots such as chatGPT during all exams at the university w…

Århus StiftstidendeEmma Lina Kruse Jensen emljejfm.dk

I asked my students about their views on AI. Here are their answers

For some, artificial intelligence (AI) can save time and take care of the boring parts of writing assignments, while others fear it kills independence and creativity.

Videnskab.dkSee Ida's profile

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising mathematics

OP-ED: With the help of computers, mathematical proofs can now be checked more thoroughly and more efficiently. Perhaps it is then only a short step to computers also proposing new theorems and proving them for us.

ForskersonenHelge Holden

AI Guidelines for K-12 Aim to Bring Order to the ‘Wild West’ - EdSurge News

Education has had a wobbly relationship with the still-evolving presence of generative AI in schools — with some school districts banning it only to…

EdSurgeNadia Tamez-Robledo

Was the text written with ChatGPT? 6 ways to expose the AI • AIavisen

Have you ever wondered whether you are reading an AI-generated text? Use these 6 tips to expose ChatGPT.

AIavisenAdam Tzur