Pathify Introduces AI Chatbot for Higher Education: Enhancing Student Support with Advanced Tech

Foremost, it is necessary to introduce an understanding of the importance of academic honesty and the negative implications of plagiarism on students’ moral development and the integrity of their learning experience. This involves having clear policies and consequences surrounding academic dishonesty. The author has experience working with students unaware of what is and is not academic misconduct. This is particularly pronounced with international students who may be more familiar with academic best practices and ethical codes of conduct from their home country. A chatbot is AI software that can simulate a conversation with a user in natural language through messaging applications, websites, mobile apps or telephone. Technology has been supporting universities in their efforts to connect with students and staff in transformative ways for a long time, such as through social media.

Shortly after ChatGPT’s release, OpenAI announced it was developing a “digital watermark” to embed into the chatbot’s responses. This kind of watermark is embedded as a digital signal that can identify the content as being AI-generated, and which (in theory) should be difficult to remove. Educators immediately pointed out the chatbot’s ability to generate meaningful responses to questions from assessments and exams. And it’s often not possible to attribute these responses to a particular source – making it difficult to detect plagiarism. Addressing the validity of an AI-generated report will build skills in editing and fact-checking. In January, OpenAI recognized the potential for problematic use of ChatGPT in the classroom.

6. Societal and economic implications from the wide-scale adoption of AI chatbots

Fryer et al. (2020) indicate that students becoming dependent on chatbots can lead to a lack of engagement and authentic learning experience, for instance. Furthermore, students may be discouraged from attending seminars, conducting the recommended reading, or participating in collaborative discussions. Much of the literature in this area argues that the ability to make decisions is what differentiates AI technologies/products from traditional computer programs (Wang and Chuang, 2023). In other words, there is an absence of cognitive abilities in computer programmes, whereas AI attempts to reproduce this, which has contemporary implications for student self-efficacy.

• Many teachers worry that ChatGPT will make teaching and learning—particularly writing assignments— more formulaic.
• She previously covered space missions and tech startups with the Forbes health and science and innovation teams.
• This poses a significant challenge for educators and students using generative chatbots.
• Ultimately, our research intends to support creative and student-centered teaching and learning techniques while facilitating the successful integration of ChatGPT into education.

But the paper also shows that increased chatbot usage led to human relationships weakening “possibly without users even realising”. Australian researchers surveyed 387 university students in different parts of the globe to seek to understand the “less understood side effects” of the rapid uptake of the OpenAI tool since its launch in November 2022. Universities should exercise caution as they outsource more functions to artificial intelligence (AI), according to the authors of a study that links student usage of ChatGPT to loneliness and a reduced sense of belonging.

Whistleblower: L.A. Schools’ Chatbot Misused Student Data as Tech Co. Crumbled

Furthermore, this paper explores potential solutions to the prospective issues related to AI chatbots adopted by HEIs. Ultimately, this paper examines the existing literature on the current state of AI chatbot technology and its potential implications for future academic usage. Plagiarism is a significant ethical concern that has been a common theme at universities for a while. Chatbots may encourage students to misrepresent AI-generated outputs as their own, thereby compromising the integrity of their academic work. Universities should continue to foster an environment that values academic integrity, using advanced plagiarism detection software, and rethinking assessment methods to discourage unethical practices (Teel et al., 2023). Finally, AI hallucination presents ethical challenges in terms of validating and verifying the accuracy of data generated by chatbots.

The framework argues AI systems should increase the capacity of organizations and the autonomy of learners while respecting human relationships and ensuring human control. Auxane Boch, Bruno Kesangana Nandaba, and Mehdi Rougui do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. He recently retired “Deadline L.A.,” a past honoree for best public-affairs radio program, which he produced and co-hosted on KPFK-FM (90.7) for 15 years. “Simply put,” said Carvalho, “Ed relies on the information that the district already possesses, analyzes, personalizes it to the needs of each student and then builds a pathway, as you will see, for each student in the school system. The district intends to bring back the chatbot, but it’s on hold while officials determine how to proceed.

The news was shocking and certainly bleak for the ed tech industry, but several observers say the partnership bit off more than it could chew, tech-wise — and that the ensuing blowup could hurt future AI investments. If done right, “it could be more than just a gimmick,” he says, creating a tool that does what Waze achieves for drivers trying to find the best route on a road, only for getting through school or college. Dr Crawford said it was still “not completely clear whether AI use causes lower performance, or whether students experiencing lower performance turn more often to AI”. Those who got their support from friends and family reported reduced loneliness, higher grade performance and were less willing to leave university than those who reported being socially supported by the AI.

All these examples constitute opportunities to include AI-assisted curricula where the notion of AI-assisted student cheating becomes unappealing. This study uniquely amalgamates varied perspectives on the impact of AI chatbots in higher education, offering a broad, balanced, and nuanced understanding of this complex issue. In doing so, it aims to contribute significantly to the existing knowledge of AI in education and guide future research and policy-making in this rapidly evolving field. In the context of integrating AI technologies into education, the issue of plagiarism emerges as a critical ethical concern (Teel et al., 2023). The facility of AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT may encourage students to misrepresent AI-generated outputs as their own, thereby compromising the integrity of their academic work.

3 Study selection

If the chatbot is asked to write an essay about a book, it often misquotes the reading, only provides partial quotes or even inserts quotations that do not align with the theme of the essay. Within two months of the program’s launch, 51 percent of K-12 teachers reported using ChatGPT, according to a recent survey by the Walton Family Foundation. Forty percent said they used it at least once a week; 53 percent anticipated increased ChatGPT App use this year. However, not everyone is ready to consider the possibilities this kind of technology presents. Thomas Lancaster, a computer scientist and expert on contract cheating at Imperial College London, said many universities were “panicking”. Cotton, along with two colleagues from Plymouth University who also claimed to be co-authors, tipped off editors of the journal Innovations in Education and Teaching International.

But one special power of chatbots seems to be that they’re close enough to human to forge a bond with students, yet not human enough to make them uncomfortable. In the fall of 2018, CSUN opted to test CSUNny by allowing half of all first-time freshmen access to the chatbot and measuring their success against a control group that did not use CSUNny. Three years later, in the fall of 2021, students who were given access to CSUNny were “significantly more likely” to still be enrolled at the university and were more likely to have already graduated (5.6 percent) than their control group counterparts (3.6 percent).

ChatGPT In Schools: Here’s Where It’s Banned—And How It Could Potentially Help Students

This version outperforms earlier iterations, demonstrating superior efficiency and intelligence in processing various types of data, including coding and solving math problems. It also offers a significantly higher message limit than the free version of ChatGPT. Deserves a measure of credit “for being willing to lean into AI technology and think about ways that it could work.” But he wonders whether the best use of generative AI at this moment will be found not in “revolutionizing instruction,” as L.A.

King and chatGPT (2023) discuss AI and chatbots’ history and potential misuse, particularly in higher education, where plagiarism is a growing concern. Professors can minimize cheating via ChatGPT using various assessment methods and plagiarism detection software (GPT-2 Output Detector Demo, 2022; OpenAI, 2023; Originality, 2023; Allen Institute for AI, n.d.; Crossplag, n.d.; Writer, n.d.). The implications of the launch of ChatGPT refer primarily to proactive approaches to face the academic integrity challenges posed by AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

ChatGPT4 outperformed ChatGPT3.5 in all difficulty levels of the Leetcode coding challenges and subjects like Biology, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Art History, English, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Physics, etcetera in AP exams. Additionally, ChatGPT4 performed better than ChatGPT3.5 on Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program Exam, USABO Semifinal Exam 202, USNCO Local Section Exam 2022, Sommelier exams, etcetera (OpenAI, 2023). Likewise, the OpenAI (OpenAI, 2023) GPT-4 Technical Report reveals that GPT-4 demonstrates proficiency comparable to humans on multiple tests, such as a fabricated bar exam that it obtained a rank in the uppermost tenth percentile of test participants. GPT-4 outperforms existing large language models (LLMs) on a collection of NLP tasks and exceeds most reported state-of-the-art systems. For example, Bastiansen et al. (2022) deployed the Stereotype Content Model to research the effects of warmth and gender of a chatbot on stereotypes, trustworthiness, aid, and capability.

Chatbots in university settings should be ethical by design, meaning that they should be designed to be sensitive to values like security, safety and accountability and transparency. If used in centres of teaching and learning, users should be protected against all forms of harm or abuse. They also need to feel treated fairly and to always be provided the option to reach a human. Meanwhile, the district unplugged the chatbot — for which AllHere had been paid $3 million — on June 14, less than three months after unveiling the animated figure as an easy-to-use, conversational companion for students and a soon-to-be-indispensable guide for parents. “Ed” is both a chatbot, personified as a happy, round sun, and an online platform that attempts to put together in one portal student records, assignments, grades, academic recommendations and mental health referrals. In the cases of CSUN and Georgia State, their chatbots began as an extension of their admissions offices.

Transparency ensures users know they interact with an AI system and understand its limitations and capabilities. Accountability involves addressing responsible development, deployment, and use of AI models like ChatGPT. Safeguarding user privacy and data protection chatbot for educational institutions is essential for maintaining user trust. Additionally, measures must be in place to prevent the malicious use of biased applications of ChatGPT. It may need help understanding and appropriately responding to emotional cues expressed during conversations.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Just as Wikipedia and Google didn’t spell the end of assessments, neither will AI. The next version of the model, GPT4, will have about 100 trillion parameters – about 500 times more than GPT3. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. While Piercey’s fifth-grade classroom may be less susceptible to AI plagiarism, Shields’ high school courses have already been generating and turning in AI generated work.

Table 5 highlights the corresponding safeguards and actions, including monitoring, transparency, user education, and regular review and auditing processes. The primary contribution of this article is the development of qualitative research on the impact of AI chatbots like ChatGPT on HEIs by employing a scoping review of the current literature. Developing AI-based tools such as ChatGPT increases the likelihood ChatGPT of replacing human-based teaching experiences with low-cost chatbot-based interactions. This possibility may result in biased teaching and learning experiences with reduced human connection and support. Georgescu (2018) and other academic articles suggest that chatbots can transform education by supporting content delivery and assessment on various topics, including multimedia content and AI-based speeches.

History has shown time and again that educational institutions can adapt to new technologies. In the 1970s the rise of portable calculators had maths educators concerned about the future of their subject – but it’s safe to say maths survived. Assessment in schools and universities is mostly based on students providing some product of their learning to be marked, often an essay or written assignment.

• He said officials at the school district should develop some kind of “governance model” to evaluate and check the data in its systems.
• The reasons for humans to fear the development of AI chatbots like ChatGPT are many and compelling, although it is too early to support such fears with solid statistical evidence.
• De Vries (2020) argues that deep fakes can blur the lines between what is fact and fiction by generating fake video footage, pictures and sounds.
• So far the system has been rolled out in a soft launch to about 55,000 students from 100 schools in the district, and officials say they’ve had no reports of misconduct by the chatbot.

“There is a whole host of research suggesting that that feeling of belonging is one of the biggest predictors of retention and graduation,” she says. Ammar has extensive experience in the software development process and is passionate about using technology to make a better world. Chatbots can help students get answers to their questions quickly and efficiently. They don’t have to read through a lengthy FAQ document or wait to receive an email response from an administrator. They can get an instant response, thus reducing wait times and improving the student experience. Kerr didn’t respond to requests for comment but her son, Richard, who began working at AllHere in 2022, said among the school district deals he worked on for the company was the chatbot project in Los Angeles.