AI-aided plagiarism on the rise, Calgary post-secondary educators say

A man uses ChatGPT on a laptop in a stock photo. (Pexels/Matheus Bertelli)

Some of Calgary’s post-secondary educators say they’re noticing an increase in instances of artificial intelligence-aided plagiarism.

“Quite often we find the plagiarism because we see something that doesn’t look right, so we go to take a closer look at the source, and then the problem gets revealed,” Mount Royal University associate professor Lori Williams said.

“It could, in some cases — if it’s a repeat offence — involve them being suspended or expelled from university, so it’s an awful experience, but it’s one we’re seeing unfortunately more frequently.”

- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

The long-time educator says AI plagiarism was obvious in one of every ten papers she marked over the holidays, alleging that some of her colleagues have complained of even higher rates – up to 40 per cent.

“I’ve seen it from first year students, I’ve seen it from senior students and students that I’ve known for years,” she said.

“It’s an awful thing to have to confront a student with this, but we have to uphold standards.

“We’re graduating students that reflect on us as educators, as an institution, so it’s important for us to address this effectively.”

ChatGPT cheaters

It’s not just Williams who has noticed an uptick in AI-aided plagiarism.

Kent Fellows, graduate program director at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, says it’s noticeable in some of the phasing or sentence structure he sees.

“We’ve started to get admission letters from students as part of their applications to grad school where you can see AI-generated content.”

Williams says the AI aid isn’t difficult to identify, saying many of the papers she has marked contained factual errors and non-existent cited information.

Some even misquoted work done by her colleagues.

Williams says it’s almost always obvious to anyone paying close enough attention.

Still, the problem persists.

“This is a new piece of technology and it’s not going away,” Fellows said. “So, part of our jobs as educators is trying to make sure that the students know how to use it responsibly and effectively.”

Artificial augmentation

Sarah Elaine Eaton is focusing on ways to use AI technology responsibly to enhance education.

She has been studying the emergence of AI for years, and teaches other academics how to deal with the “new reality.”

Eaton says when not being used to avoid work, AI can be a useful tool.

“It can be used to help students learn, to increase their critical thinking and to help them learn about things like citing and referencing,” Eaton told CTV News. “It’s a matter of using the AI to augment learning, not circumvent it.”

Williams agreed, comparing ChatGPT to Wikipedia.

“It’s a fine start, but not the finished product,” she said. “A lot more work is needed.”

The University of Calgary’s new Centre for Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Literacy and Integrity is hosting Al workshops this week.

On Mar. 20, Eaton will give a lecture about Al and future-focussed learning in 2025 and beyond at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 5 p.m.

“It’s our job as educators to prepare students for their future, and that means that we as teachers need to learn more about this technology, so we can help students bring their best selves to the classroom and into the world.”