In a move similar to those made by New South Wales and Queensland, Tasmanian public schools have decided to restrict access to the AI learning tool ChatGPT for their students.
Launched by artificial intelligence research company OpenAI in November, ChatGPT, or the Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, is a chatbot that can generate human-like responses to a wide range of questions.
However, with the advanced capabilities of the tool comes the risk of students using it to cheat on assignments.
In a statement, the Tasmania’s Department of Education, Children and Young People acknowledged the potential for “inappropriate use” of online AI and chatbot tools in completing assessment tasks.
As a result, the department has decided to “restrict student access” to ChatGPT on its systems.
While the department has emphasized that this is not a permanent ban and that they will continue to “review and update policies” related to technology changes, teachers have been trained to identify language consistent with a student’s other pieces of work and a diverse mix of assessment tasks are used to help identify any concerns around authenticity.
This decision has been met with mixed reactions, with some educators stating that the tool would have particularly aided students who struggle with writing.
