Academic plagiarism has a new AI face?

Editor's note: Students who use artificial intelligence to write their graduation theses can't receive diplomas, said a draft law on academic diplomas proposed to the top legislature on Aug 28, sparking heated discussions. Two experts share their views on this issue with China Daily's Yao Yuxin. Excerpts follow:

Academic insights essential in AI era

This is fundamentally about whether students are resorting to fraud in their academic research papers, rather than writing the papers themselves. Consequently, it is evident that degrees obtained through such dishonest means should, according to regulations, be revoked.

Previously, it was well understood that if students engaged in acts of plagiarism and fabrication during the process of writing their university theses, and these actions were verified, their degrees would be revoked. Additionally, commissioning someone else to write a thesis on one's behalf was clearly recognized as an act of academic misconduct, a serious breach of academic integrity.

Now, if AI is used to write a thesis, which is a new phenomenon, at its core it also represents academic misconduct. The rationale is quite simple: requiring students to write their theses is a way to assess whether the students themselves have reached a certain level of academic competence. If a student does not write the thesis himself or herself, relying instead on AI, it becomes evident that their actual academic capabilities are not being demonstrated. Thus, this constitutes a form of deception.

The key factor in determining whether a student is using AI for assistance or relying on it to write the entire paper lies in whether they possess the required academic insights and whether they have conducted substantial academic research. If there is a lack of academic investigation, research, original viewpoints, and innovative ideas, and if the work is entirely reliant on AI, then it clearly goes beyond using AI as an aid and crosses into using AI for composition.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute.