PETALING JAYA: Many educational institutions around the world are scrambling to strike a balance between adapting to new technology and ensuring ethical practices are maintained in their work.
While some countries have outlawed the use of ChatGPT over concerns about plagiarism and ethics, others have opted to regulate it as a matter of adapting to changing times.
In Singapore, its Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said training on how to effectively use the software will be given to educators.
He said ChatGPT could be a useful tool for learning only when students have mastered basic concepts and thinking skills, The Straits Times reported.
In Vietnam, its Deputy Education and Training minister Hoang Minh Son said ChatGPT is another technological tool that can help both students and teachers in the learning process.
While there are issues regarding the software, the deputy minister said the government will look into drafting a legal framework for handling plagiarism, especially among university students, reports VietnamNews.
In China, the decision to embrace or restrict the use of ChatGPT is still a matter of argument among the universities there.
The University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Baptist University have announced a ban on the use of ChatGPT over concerns of plagiarism.
On the opposing end, the University of Science and Technology and Education University of Hong Kong opened its doors for students to use ChatGPT under the guidance of its teachers. This is to help them improve their understanding of AI and how to responsibly use it, the South China Morning Post reported.
In some European countries, ChatGPT has been outlawed at certain universities.
France’s Sciences Po has banned the use of AI-powered chatbots to prevent fraud and plagiarism.
Reuters said the university has also limited the use of all other tools that use AI.
Italy recently placed a temporary ban on ChatGPT following an order from the Italian Data Protection Watchdog over a suspected data breach by the parent company, OpenAI.
On March 27, Japan’s Sophia University also released its grading policy on “ChatGPT and other AI chatbots” on its website.
The policy said that any use of text, programme source code, or calculation results generated by ChatGPT or other chatbots will not be permitted on any assignments.
The Japan News reported that action will be taken against those who were found to be using ChatGPT for their curriculum assignments.
The University of Tokyo posted a document titled About Generative AI, which also referred to other interactive AIs, on its internal website on April 3.
It stated “reports must be created by students themselves and cannot be created solely with the help of AI”.
British universities have also warned against the use of ChatGPT.
The University of Bristol has warned its students that the use of ChatGPT for their assignments would be considered a form of cheating, while University of the West of England vice-chancellor Steve West also told his students using AI to write essays would be an assessment offence, the BBC reported.
