No
While ChatGPT seems like an innovation we can use for academic advantage, we should be cautious when using AI. ChatGPT is far from perfect and should be a supplementary tool at best when using it for academic work.
One significant issue the chatbot poses is sharing misinformation across all fields of study. For example, a study found that up to 77 per cent of ChatGPT’s answers to coding questions were wrong.
ChatGPT also doesn’t provide references. Instead, the chatbot fabricates them when asked, which further reduces its credibility. A simple search will most likely leave you scratching your head with the source nowhere to be found.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is fully aware of this limitation as well, clarifying that it can provide answers that sound plausible, despite containing incorrect or nonsensical answers. They outline how ChatGPT doesn’t source its answers from the internet, but makes a series of guesses to arrive at the best answer.
I try to avoid guessing when doing assignments, and it makes no sense to let ChatGPT make multiple guesses to do the same task.
Most obvious of all, using ChatGPT to complete assignments violates academic integrity at all universities. While plagiarism detection tools—such as Turnitin and GPTZero—are subpar, and Queen’s even admits there’s a very high chance of getting away with ChatGPT use, referring to AI isn’t worth risking your future.
—Sina Sayyad, Assistant Lifestyle Editor
Yes
When ChatGPT rose in popularity this year, I found myself increasingly using it for school work. Being able to talk to AI and get back answers rather than searching keywords on Google made completing work efficient and higher quality.
Though I don’t use ChatGPT when writing larger essays, the chatbot is helpful when I find it hard to express what I’m trying to say in an academic lens. When this happens, I’ll type everything I’m thinking into ChatGPT and ask it to organize my points, which helps me structure my ideas. From this, I research further and then write it all down. AI helps me get the ball rolling with my work so I can catch that metaphorical wave and ride it to the finish line.
Last year, I took one of the most challenging classes of my life, which involved only writing math proofs. These math proofs were difficult and weird, and would ask me to prove equations in writing, such as 0=0. ChatGPT was instrumental to my success in this course. I would consult with ChatGPT as I wrote these proofs, sometimes asking, “Does this make any mathematical sense?” I would receive solid feedback and some information on what to change or tweak. If I didn’t have ChatGPT as a resource, there’s a high probability I could’ve failed the course.
All in all, ChatGPT is a very helpful tool and resource that elevates work levels, and ChatGPT’s ability to find information and take feedback is helpful to create efficient and higher quality work.
—Max Ecker, Contributor
Tags
AI, ChatGPT, point/counterpoint
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