The fodder of science fiction stories has finally arrived in our classrooms – students can use artificial intelligence programs such as ChatbotGPT to craft well-written and even sourced essays that you may find challenging to prove are not their own. Such writing programs will write essays according to any given prompt and length parameters, and are currently FREE for students to use.

At the outset, the three most helpful deterrents appear to be: 1) require students to hand-compose and keep process pieces (ideally, which you review and discuss for the purposes of feedback and goal-setting), so that there is a paper trail and they can easily demonstrate authentic ownership of the work, 2) require students to compose drafts and revisions in Google docs so that you will be able to access a version history that will show you their final draft evolution, and 3) consider providing as much or more grade credit for the process pieces than for the single, final product. All of the above de-incentivize using a ChatBot or – if a student was not deterred ENOUGH – make it more possible for you to trace the genesis of their work.

Also hopeful is Turnitin, which is developing code to detect Chatbot essays as non-human-composed. Equally hopeful (maybe) is an app developed by a college student, and currently free for you to check essays against. (Read more below.)

The days are early though, and this truly is “breaking news” in our classroom worlds. This story – and our best defenses against it – will be changing rapidly in the coming weeks. For now, we want to give you a few links so you can see a curated synthesis of some of the information currently out there about this topic.

The CNBC article “Why tech insiders are so excited about ChatGPT, a chatbot that answers questions and writes essays” takes a deeper dive into the development of chatbots, how they work, what companies have invested in developing their own text-based artificial intelligence tools, and even displays a written response developed by ChatGPT.

Curious how much companies are willing to invest in AI-writing technology? The article, “Microsoft escalates talks with the chatbot threatening Google’s dominance” is a quick read detailing the money and moguls involved in catapulting ChatGPT and other softwares into the limelight.   

Writer and Forbes contributor, Bruce Weinstein Ph.D, writes of the ethical questions raised by the use of artificial intelligence writing tools in: “Which Section Of This Article Was Written By An AI Chatbot?” He puts his own writing to the test when compared to an AI-produced response, and guides readers through some of the moral quandaries posed by the developing technology.

How can ChatGPT hold up in an AP Literature class? In this video, Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern, tried her hand at “Cheating with ChatGPT.” (7min)

The Journal discusses Turnitin’s commitment to handle AI detection for us: Is ChatGPT Writing Your Students’ Homework? A New Technology will be able to Detect it (Turnitin is currently available to all BLS high school students.)

NPR’s Monday report discusses the college-student created app, currently free for your use, that will help detect likelihood of AI origination: This 22-Year Old is Trying to Save us From ChatGPT Before it Changes Writing Forever

And, finally, on a lighter note: Summit High principal Michael McDonald requested a TGIF sonnet from Chatbot. Here’s what it generated: The weekend is here! School is done! / For two sweet days, we teachers can relax / For two nights, leaving all homework undone / By pool, book, or Netflix, we can Kick Back / Our afternoons spent with cherished friends / For camaraderie and to share a drink / While most of us just want the weekends’ ends / To muster the strength required, we need to think / And when it’s time to bid goodbye / The fact of school will be remembered fondly / Our opportunity to strive and try / And during the week our work will be seen soundly / The week may just bring challenges and dread / But still we teachers know the weekend is ahead!

Still curious? Here is an upcoming (free) webinar offered by The Write Center, discussing the issue: ChatGPT and the Future of Writing instruction.