Parents Take School To Court After Student Punished For Using AI 38
The parents of a Massachusetts student are suing his school after he was penalized for using AI in a Social Studies project, claiming it was for research purposes only. The student received a detention and a lower grade, which his parents argue could harm his college prospects. The school is defending its AI policy and fighting to dismiss the case. The Register reports: "The Plaintiff Student will suffer irreparable harm that far outweighs any harm that may befall the Defendants," their filing reads [PDF]. "He is applying to elite colleges and universities given his high level of academic and personal achievement. Early decision and early action applications in a highly competitive admissions process are imminent and start in earnest on October 1, 2024. Absent the grant of an injunction by this Court, the Student will suffer irreparable harm that is imminent."
The school, however, is fighting back with a motion to dismiss [PDF] the case. The school argues that RNH, along with his classmates, was given a copy of the student handbook in the Fall of last year, which specifically called out the use of AI by students. The class was also shown a presentation about the school's policy. Students should "not use AI tools during in-class examinations, processed writing assignments, homework or classwork unless explicitly permitted and instructed," the policy states. "RNH unequivocally used another author's language and thoughts, be it a digital and artificial author, without express permission to do so," the school argues. "Furthermore, he did not cite to his use of AI in his notes, scripts or in the project he submitted. Importantly, RNH's peers were not allowed to cut corners by using AI to craft their projects; thus, RNH acted 'unfairly in order to gain an advantage.'"
The school, however, is fighting back with a motion to dismiss [PDF] the case. The school argues that RNH, along with his classmates, was given a copy of the student handbook in the Fall of last year, which specifically called out the use of AI by students. The class was also shown a presentation about the school's policy. Students should "not use AI tools during in-class examinations, processed writing assignments, homework or classwork unless explicitly permitted and instructed," the policy states. "RNH unequivocally used another author's language and thoughts, be it a digital and artificial author, without express permission to do so," the school argues. "Furthermore, he did not cite to his use of AI in his notes, scripts or in the project he submitted. Importantly, RNH's peers were not allowed to cut corners by using AI to craft their projects; thus, RNH acted 'unfairly in order to gain an advantage.'"
Has anyone told... (Score:2, Interesting)
.. the school that just doing a google-search these days means you have used an AI-powered tool.
Let the fun begin.
AI search vs. cheat (Score:5, Insightful)
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He wasn't punished for plagiarism. He was punished for using an AI when he was told not to.
Re: AI search vs. cheat (Score:3)
Hair splitting at its finest.
The student did not write what was submitted and turned it in as if it was, despite being given warning it was unacceptable conduct in both student handbook and in a presentation to students at the start of the year.
Given that, it is cheating, plagiarism, or both.
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More specifically, he is getting punished for getting caught.
If he had used AI to generate an essay and asked it for references, then read it, absorbed the knowledge and rewritten it in his own words while also validating and correctly referencing the references, he would have been fine.
Re:AI search vs. cheat (Score:4, Informative)
That sequence of words was not there before he generated it with software. Therefore the words are his own work even if he did not create the sequence directly.
He did not generate it, the AI algorithm did. Whether or not it is plagiarism vs. cheating depends on whether you regard that the student is copying the output of the algorithm (plagiarism) vs. using a forbidden tool to avoid doing the required work and gain an unjustified academic advantage (cheating). I'd tend to favour the cheating interpretation but since AI algorithms can sometimes regurgitate verbatim sections of the data they were trained on it can sometimes very clearly be plagiarism.
Either way, given the information available it seems very clear that the kid committed an academic offence.
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The kid used a tool to generate what is likely a fairly unique sequence of words. That sequence of words was not there before he generated it with software. Therefore the words are his own work even if he did not create the sequence directly.
The school's academic manual defines plagiarism as copying the words of a human or AI, so the hair you chose to split wasn't nearly as clever as you thought.
What sort of moron feels the need to defend use of IA in a context where you're obviously supposed to demonstrate your own understanding? You not only want a tool to think for you, you want somebody to pay you on the head and tell you're good at thinking at the same time? Pathetic. Shave your neck.
Re: AI search vs. cheat (Score:2)
I'm a teacher, and we just had long meetings on this yesterday. We are not at all opposed to using it for research or even giving you a starting point it fresh perspective.
There are some who will go after you for using grammerly because it generates text that you then use. I have no problem since it is mostly acting as an editor, and students with lesser language skills are able to be on a more even level. You still need to create and express your ideas, not an AI generated one.
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That's nice. I usually just copy the whole reply for my kids' homework, because most homework is garbage busy work that doesn't enforce learning.
Ah so these are the parents (Score:4, Insightful)
People often say that parents are no longer the allies of the school when it comes to discipline or punishment or breaking the rules and that the parents always think their children are special or exempt from these things. I always think that might be a generalization but here is one data point anyway.
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We're way behind other parts of the world. In some places, parents actively help students cheat [cbsnews.com]. It's more low keyed in other countries, but parents are definitely not on the teachers side.
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A lot of teachers are also really awful.
My only options will be Devry or the University of (Score:2)
My only options will be Devry or the University of Phoenix! which one Mrs. Hill?!?!
Better to learn early (Score:3)
Re:Better to learn early (Score:4, Informative)
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The tell that's he's guilty is that the filing claims the school didn't disclose rules against using, but the media has already published excerpts of the school's academic manual that expressly forbid use of AI tools, not only for writing the text of an assignment, but even for generating arguments.
So the parents demanded that the lawyer file a case, either without doing any research first to find out if they had a case, or knowing that they didn't have a case. It screams, "Do you know who I am?! You can't
Doesn't Sound Like Top Tier Talent (Score:5, Insightful)
I have a tragic message for the parents. Your child isn't as smart as you say he is.
I use AI for all kinds of writing tasks. After just a few prompts it's easy to see the formulaic patterns that ChatGPT throws into the text. ("In Summary [...]", bullet lists, etc)
It sounds like this kid's real crime was using AI without proof-reading it. Because it doesn't take many tweaks to the output to make your content sound self-written.
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We need a law. All AI output must be produced in Yoda-ish [urbandictionary.com].
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Plus often including content relevant to different more popular essay prompt.
Right to plagiarize (Score:4, Interesting)
This is 'nothing bad happened' thinking. While common and innocuous itself, it leads to 'it didn't happen to me' thinking: That is far from harmless. The name Stockton Rush should be fresh in people's minds.
Yes, every college will remember this student demanding the right to plagiarize, when explicitly told not to.
While courts have sided with shallow arguments of morality, a "he did not cite" behaviour demonstrates selfishness.
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Yes, every college will remember this student demanding the right to plagiarize, when explicitly told not to.
That's what I thought too, but they anonymize his name in the lawsuit.
Children of the Snowflake (Score:4, Insightful)
The children of the Snowflake feel entitled to break the rules because they can't think for themselves or accept the consequences of their behavior.
Reminds me of a conversation from TRON:
Alan Bradley: Some programs will be thinking soon.
Dr. Walter Gibbs: Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop.
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The children of the Snowflake feel entitled to break the rules because they can't think for themselves or accept the consequences of their behavior.
Yup, just like this one [totalprosports.com]. We know who he's voting for.
I'm having a hard time seeing the parents' side (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm having a hard time seeing the parents' side.
If a student is doing simple math homework and uses a calculator, that's cheating.
So why should it change if a student is doing an essay and asks an AI to write it?
In both cases, the educational goal isn't to find a tool to do the work, but for the student to understand the concepts being taught.
Now the parents' argument that this may negatively impact their child's future also seems pretty flawed to me. The same could be said for a student that buys a paper off the internet from a cheating website, is caught, and receives a failing grade. But few people would say that the cheating student was unfairly punished.
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Plenty of people cheat, the actual smart ones just don't get caught by being a lazy cheat.
Of course in the real world cheating doesn't matter if you have money for a lawyer with no ethics.
Think a detention will put off colleges? (Score:3)
Book 'em, Dano! (Score:2)
Hey Mom, hey Dad, maybe the "lesson" you're teaching your son is that if he doesn't respect the rules, you'll always be there to bail him out, even if it means spending $$$ on lawyer fees. That would do him a lot more damage than not being accepted into some indoctrination camp.
Insane parents (Score:2)
What I find insane is that parents get involved at all in this sort of thing, let alone go to court over it.
My kids are adults now, but I never got involved if the school disciplined them unless the school contacted me. Part of getting an education is learning to deal with difficult people, and if mommy and daddy are going to launch a lawsuit every time somebody hurts the kiddy's feelings, they'll never grow up.
Education isn't a Contest (Score:2)
RNH's peers were not allowed to cut corners by using AI to craft their projects; thus, RNH acted 'unfairly in order to gain an advantage.'"
That pretty much says it all. Education as a contest between students. If you wonder why our schools are generally failing large number of students that explains it. You can't have winners without creating some losers.
I am sure the kid will recover (Score:2)
The kid was lazy. (Score:2)
Everybody knows that the way to avoid getting accused of using material you did not write is to paraphrase it. The student should have read it, and used the age old pattern of, "So if I understand you correctly..."
Citation and quote marks help. Paraphrasing is nearly bulletproof. The kid was just straight up lazy.