Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionise the way students' coursework is written, but academics have called for greater controls to stop widespread cheating.
With the use of AI, students and researchers could potentially save time and effort by allowing the technology to assist with the creation of written assignments.
Another potential application of AI in academic writing is through the use of machine-learning algorithms.
There needs to be an institutional policy in place for this and some education for students that this use of AI in this way is unacceptable
Dr Athol Yates,
Khalifa University
These algorithms can be trained on a large data set of academic papers and articles, learning the characteristics and patterns of successful writing.
Speaking at a Khalifa University workshop with lecturers on how to detect the use of ChatGPT, a text-generating AI software launched by US company OpenAI in November, Dr Athol Yates warned against its use by students.
“This is definitely already being used around the world, as students are tech savvy,” said Dr Yates, an associate professor of humanities and social science at Khalifa University.
“It is easy to use, so if they are late for an assignment it is a simple option. It has the potential to turn us more into classroom police.
“There is a need for all educational institutions to have institutional policy in place for this and some education for students that this use of AI in this way is unacceptable.”
More than one million users
The technology has been created by OpenAI, a San Francisco based tech-firm co-founded by Elon Musk and valued at around $29 million, according to financial reports.
On December 4, just four days after its launch, ChatGPT had more than a million users.
Schools in New York City have already moved to ban the technology across the district, but some schools will still be allowed to access the technology to aid their education.
There are AI tools specifically designed for academic writing, such as citation management software.
These tools can help students organise their sources and automatically generate citations and references in the correct formatting style.
While AI has the potential to be a valuable tool in the academic writing process, academics said it should not be used as a replacement for human effort and critical thinking.
Ultimately, the goal of using AI in academic writing should be to assist and enhance the writing process, rather than to fully automate it, they said.
“It provides good quality formulaic responses, which is what we are trying to teach,” said Dr Yates
“It is perfect and uses natural language, so it is difficult to spot.
“The lack of references is an issue, but there are ways to get around this.
“Students don’t have to submit an entire response. It can be reworked and, hey presto, you have a piece of work — we need to decide if that is acceptable as we have no policy at the moment on this.”
Risk of cyber attacks
There is a risk that AI could be used for malicious purposes, such as cyber attacks or the spread of false information.
As AI systems become more advanced, they could potentially be used to automate and amplify these activities, causing significant harm to individuals and society as a whole.
Finally, the widespread adoption of AI could lead to significant job displacement, as many tasks currently performed by humans are automated.
This could result in widespread unemployment and economic disruption, and it will be important for governments and businesses to address this issue and ensure that those affected are protected.
Overall, while AI has the potential to bring about many benefits, it is important that careful consideration is given to address the potential dangers it poses.
This will require ongoing research and collaboration between researchers, policymakers and industry professionals to ensure that the development and use of AI is responsible and ethical.
“If I was going to use ChatGPT, I would benefit from seeing the flow of ideas that it generates,” said Amira Al Aamri, a research scientist at Khalifa University.
“Often, we don’t know where to start when writing, so these tools can help with that.
“I am not saying it should never be used, as there are benefits, but the outcomes should not be copied and pasted.
“I would want to see the process students have gone through to generate their work and this does not allow for that. That means more work for the student.
“When the software develops to produce references, it will be a game changer.”
This story was created was generated with ChatGPT
This story has largely been created using ChatGPT. We entered 'write a news article on the dangers of artificial intelligence in the command box' and ChatGPT created a 400-word story in seconds.
We added quotes from experts at Khalifa University who gave a presentation on the power of ChatGPT and its potential uses.
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
WTL%20SCHEDULE
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
