Chatbot rot?

Hari finishes his cereal and looks at the kitchen clock. He has to leave for school in five minutes, and he has not done his history homework. Never mind! He grabs his laptop and opens ChatGPT.

"Write an essay on the Battle of HastingsA battle fought in 1066 between the Norman-French army and an English army. It started the Norman Conquest of England. ," he tells it - and moments later it begins: "The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066, seven miles from Hastings..."

ChatGPT¹ can write essays that are sometimes impossible to tell from the work of a human. It can even compose limericksA humorous rhyming poem with five lines. . It can also find the answers to science and maths problems.

Most users have been astounded by the results. Though the answers are not always right, teachers have said that they would give full marks to some.

The obvious danger is that students might cheat by pretending they had written essays that were really written by ChatGPT. For that reason, it has already been banned in some schools.

The company that invented it is now working on a digital watermarkA faint mark made on paper identifying the maker of the document. . This should make it easier to spot essays written by ChatGPT.

But some believe this is pointless. Writing in The New York Times, Kevin Roose argues that people who want to cheat will always find a way. And since AI is becoming so important, students should get to grips with it as soon as possible:

"They'll need to know their way around these tools - their strengths and weaknesses, their hallmarksA quality that is typical of a certain person, organisation or being. and blind spots - in order to work alongside them."

He suggests that ChatGPT might be used to stimulate students. It could set out essay plans and take part in debates. According to one history teacher, anything that helps students to think more carefully about a subject before they come to class will result in better discussions.

It could also help teachers with their lesson plans, suggest classroom activities, generate quizzes and mark tests. 

Yes: It is a fantastic tool which can help both students and teachers. It can give students personal guidance in a way that teachers are often too busy to, and help teachers run lessons more effectively. 

No: Embracing ChatGPT would defeat the whole purpose of education. If students become dependent on AI, they will never learn to write or think properly and they are less likely to retain information.

Or... Schools should use ChatGPT selectively. It could be treated like calculators - allowed for some work but not all. Or it could be something that teachers are allowed to use but students are not.