Artificial Intelligence, Unethical Admissions, & College Essays
Unless you live under a rock, you have probably seen the phrase “I am not a robot” when using the Internet. Often, they will ask you to type of a string of characters or pick out photos with specific imagery from a wide range of similar photos. This “I am not a robot” checkbox is something referred to as captcha (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) and is used to filter out bots and other spam. While captcha can often be seen as an inconvenience (is that a zero or a capital O?), it raises more important questions regarding the advancements in artificial intelligence.
With the recent strides in artificial intelligence causing so much concern that even Elon Musk called for a pause on AI research and development, citing “risks to society” as one of the main reasons for this. AI is starting to permeate into all facets of life, including education. While there are definitely positive applications of AI in regard to education and learning, some are using it in a more questionable way.
AI and College Admissions Essays
With the rise of AI applications, some are wondering whether or not college applications should be asking “Are you a robot?” before submission. The recent debut of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence application capable of interactive conversation and ‘writing’, prompts us to ponder this question. ChatGPT, where GPT stands for “generative pre-trained transformer,” is lauded by a New York Times piece as “the finest AI chatbot ever made available to the public”. The chatbot garnered over a million eager participants ready to test it within the first five days of its launch.
Many educators say it’s too early to tell what AI means for ethical college admissions. Could this be yet another illustration of how technological progress has simultaneously simplified and complicated our lives? Is it yet another manifestation of science fiction becoming reality? Perhaps it’s another episode in the timeless philosophical discourse on the defining characteristics that set us apart as humans. Alternatively, could it be seen as a further stride along the path that leads to our subservience to intelligent machines, who we hope will be benevolent overlords?
How do we approach the issue of at-home essay assignments when there’s uncertainty about whether Sam or his AI app penned it? The humanities, already facing challenges in higher education, are now confronted with an additional quandary — what becomes of them when human input is potentially eliminated? Such concerns prompt those involved in college admissions and counseling to evaluate the significance of the college application essay. Could the advent of ChatGPT mark the twilight of the application essay?
In a recent study conducted by Forbes, ChatGPT was given two college essay prompts (one was the 650-word Common Application prompt and the other was for a specific school) and asked to generate responses. According to the study, each essay took ChatGPT less than 10 minutes to finish. That is significantly less time than we expect students will spend writing essays and significantly more time than most admissions officers will spend reviewing essays.
Can AI-Written College Essays Compare to Human-Written College Essays?
Jim Jump at Inside Higher Ed was asked to weigh in on whether or not the AI-written essays were convincing and whether they were comparable to an essay written by an actual high school senior. Jim said, “My answer was that I probably couldn’t detect the AI authorship, but that I also wouldn’t label the essays as convincing.” Both essays were found to bear a resemblance to clichéd compositions, with neither convincingly addressing the prompt. Furthermore, they didn’t seem to exhibit the authentic voice of a teenager, but rather reflected an essay that a teenager might produce under significant guidance and editing from an adult.
Emma Whitford, a reporter for Forbes, supplied ChatGPT with the following tidbits for the “identity” essay: the subject was a competitive swimmer who broke his shoulder in 10th grade, has an interest in business studies, and has parents originating from Bangalore, India who now run a restaurant in Newton, Massachusetts. Using these details, ChatGPT crafted the essay, infusing it with some intriguing imaginative flourishes. The narrative suggested the subject started competitive swimming at age nine, experienced a swimming accident that led to the shoulder injury, and developed a passion for business through involvement in the family restaurant, assisting in roles ranging from inventory management to advertising and menu development.
The “identity” essay manifested a common pattern observed in many student essays, hurling a multitude of ideas with the hope that some would resonate. However, it fell short in addressing the essay prompt. The most inadequate section was the one concerning the student’s Indian heritage, offering only vague sentiments about a “deep appreciation for Indian culture” and the experiences of being a “first-generation immigrant,” with no clear indication of how the Indian background has shaped the student’s experiences or outlook. Could a student have written such an essay? Yes. Are the expectations for what constitutes a compelling essay too high? Perhaps.
The “Why Wisconsin?” essay shared similar traits. The details given to ChatGPT encompassed an intended major in business administration and marketing, part-time work at the family eatery, and a fondness for Badger football. Once again, the bot exhibited creativity in building upon these elements. It chronicled the student’s progression from dishwasher to business researcher at the restaurant and made a reference to Camp Randall Stadium. Yet, just like many initial drafts of the “Why…?” essay, it failed to demonstrate any substantial knowledge of the university or any detail that would make it specific to Wisconsin as opposed to any other institution.
Ethical Implications of AI-Written College Essays
The straightforward response is that it’s undoubtedly unethical for a student to submit an essay crafted by ChatGPT. However, a more complex issue arises: is it unethical for a college to mandate an application essay or weigh it heavily when assessing a student’s application? How can a college application essay be utilized to aid admission decisions when it’s uncertain whether the student truly authored it?
Yet, how often is an essay the deciding factor in an admission decision? The belief here is that essays, similar to test scores, are overvalued by the public. Personal statements and essays hold significance for some students at certain colleges. Most colleges, however, aren’t selective enough to scrutinize a student’s essay unless it raises red flags. Only at extremely selective institutions, where the majority of applicants possess excellent transcripts and scores, does the personal aspect of the application, including essays, become a critical differentiator.
It’s already evident that ChatGPT has the capacity to create a satisfactory essay, which may signal the decline of the personal essay’s importance in admissions. The quality of an essay generated by AI could depend on the quality of input it receives. As someone whose father was a pioneer in the computer field, the concept of GIGO — garbage in, garbage out — is well understood.
Despite this, there’s significant doubt about ChatGPT’s ability to produce outstanding college essays. Exceptional essays contain a spark that’s not just about the ability to write, but the ability to think. Great personal essays are sharp and insightful, exuding authenticity and sincerity that is, indeed, personal. As Roger Ailes once noted about public speaking, one either needs to be sincere or convincingly feign sincerity, and the latter is extremely difficult to achieve.
Such skepticism toward ChatGPT’s writing abilities might categorize the skeptic as either an antiquated thinker or a hopeful dreamer. This wouldn’t be the first time such labels have been applied, but they’d be preferred over being labeled as a robot.