AI Generated Exam Answers a ‘Wakeup Call’ for Education Sector

Experts have called for the education sector to ‘wake up’ as recent research shows AI-generated responses can evade detection and outperform student submissions in exams

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on The Independent

AI-generated responses to exams can not only avoid detection but also achieve higher grades than those produced by students, according to recent real-world testing. This comes amid growing concerns about students submitting AI-generated work as their own.

The rapid evolution of AI technology presents a pressing challenge for the education sector, which cannot afford to ignore these advancements. As AI tools become more sophisticated, educators must address their impact on academic integrity and assessment methods to ensure fair and effective evaluations.

Peter Scarfe, an associate professor at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at Reading, stated that the findings should act as a “wake-up call” for educational institutions as AI tools like ChatGPT become increasingly advanced and prevalent.

In the study published in Plos One, Professor Scarfe and his team used GPT-4 to generate responses to exam questions, which they then submitted for 33 fictitious students. These AI-generated answers went undetected in 94% of cases and, on average, achieved higher grades than those submitted by actual students.

Professor Scarfe emphasised that the education sector must continuously evolve and update its guidelines to keep pace with the advancements in generative AI. As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated, it is crucial for educational institutions to adapt their strategies and policies to effectively address the challenges and opportunities these technologies present.

He said: “Many institutions have moved away from traditional exams to make assessment more inclusive. Our research shows it is of international importance to understand how AI will affect the integrity of educational assessments. We won’t necessarily go back fully to hand-written exams, but the global education sector will need to evolve in the face of AI.”