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S AT UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS THE FIRST TO HAVE SPENT NEARLY ITS ENTIRE COLLEGE CAREER IN THE AGE OF GENERATIVE AI, A TYPE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THAT CAN CREATE NEW CONTENT, LIKE TEXT AND IMAGES. AS THE TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES, IT'S HARDER TO DISTINGUISH FROM HUMAN WORK. AND IT'S SHAKING ACADEMIA TO ITS CORE WITH SOME VERY BIG QUESTIONS. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FRED DE SAM LAZARO HAS THE STORY FOR OUR SERIES, RETHINKING COLLEGE.
>> AND THE PRINCIPLE OF HUMANITY SAYS, TREAT ALL PEOPLE AS ENDS IN THEMSELVES, NEVER MERELY AS MEANS.
FRED: ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, MEGAN FRITTS, A PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK, BEGAN SPOTTING SOMETHING UNUSUAL ABOUT HER STUDENTS' WRITING.
>> YOU SUDDENLY GET AN ESSAY OR A TEST ANSWER, SOME KIND OF ASSIGNMENT FROM A STUDENT WHO'S NORMAL WRITING YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, AND YOU GET SOMETHING BACK THAT SORT OF SOUNDS LIKE AN OFFICIAL BUSINESS DOCUMENT OR A PIECE OF TECHNICAL WRITING. WRITING THAT SOUNDS VERY HIGHLY POLISHED, BUT VERY IMPERSONAL.
FRED: IMPERSONAL BECAUSE IT LIKELY WASN'T WRITTEN BY A PERSON. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A TURNING POINT FOR HIGHER ED, AS GENERATIVE AI HAD SWEPT THROUGH, NOT ONLY HER CAMPUS, BUT COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A SURVEY LAST YEAR FOUND THAT 86% OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE NOW USING AI TOOLS, LIKE CHATGPT, CLAUDE AI, AND GOOGLE GEMINI, FOR SCHOOL WORK.
THE REASON GENERATIVE AI HAS SPREAD SO QUICKLY ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES IS NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND. IT'S TRANSFORMED TASKS THAT USED TO TAKE HOURS, EVEN DAYS, OF WRITING AND REVISION INTO SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE IN MERE MINUTES. FOR EXAMPLE, I CAN ASK CHATGPT, WRITE ME A 1000-WORD ESSAY ON THE TOPIC OF, "IS IT OK TO LIE?" AND USING A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DATA, IT PREDICTS AND GENERATES SENTENCES ON THIS TOPIC INSTANTLY.
FRITTS SAYS THE IMPACT HAS BEEN DEEPLY DISRUPTIVE.
>> IF I'M READING THE WRITINGS OF CHATGPT INSTEAD OF MY STUDENTS, I HAVE LOST THE VERY BEST TOOL THAT I HAVE TO SEE IF I AM BEING EFFECTIVE IN MY CAPACITY AS AN INSTRUCTOR OR NOT.
>> WE REALLY NEED A FRAMEWORK IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN USE THESE THINGS AND INNOVATE WHILE MINIMIZING THE RISK.
FRED: UNIVERSITY POLICYMAKERS HAVE SCRAMBLED TO STAY AHEAD.
>> I THINK THE REALIZATION OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF IS THE TECHNOLOGY IS OUTPACING OUR ABILITY TO DETECT IT.
FRED: VICE PROVOST OF RESEARCH BRIAN BERRY LEADS ONE OF U.A. LITTLE ROCK'S COMMITTEES TASKED WITH CREATING CLEAR CAMPUS-WIDE POLICIES ON AI.
>> I THINK IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO US HELPING STUDENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT'S AT RISK. HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THAT IF THEY USE AI IN THE RIGHT WAY, IT'S LITERALLY THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL THAT THEY'VE EVER BEEN ABLE TO USE AND IT WILL MAKE HUGE DIFFERENCES. BUT IF THEY USE IT IN THE WRONG WAY, IT COULD SHORT CIRCUIT THEIR LEARNING PROCESS.
FRED: THE UNIVERSITY IS FINALIZING A POLICY THAT LETS PROFESSORS DETERMINE WHAT AI USE IS ACCEPTABLE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, AS LONG AS THEY CLEARLY OUTLINE IT IN THEIR SYLLABUS. BUT FOR FRITTS, WHO HAS A STRICT NO AI POLICY, IDENTIFYING IT HAS BEEN COMPLICATED AND TIME CONSUMING.
>> PHRASELY IS ONE OF THE SOFTWARES THAT I USE. IF I SUSPECT AI USE, THEN THE FIRST THING I DO IS I DO USE DETECTION SOFTWARE. I ACTUALLY USE EIGHT DIFFERENT DETECTION SOFTWARES.
FRED: IF HER SUSPICION IS CONFIRMED, SHE DOES MEET WITH THE STUDENT.
>> IF THEY CAN TALK ABOUT THE THING THAT THEY WROTE ABOUT, THEN GREAT. BUT A LOT OF TIMES THEY CAN'T.
FRED: SOUNDS LIKE IT'S TEDIOUS AND A LOT MORE WORK FOR PROFESSORS LIKE YOURSELF.
>> IT CERTAINLY CUTS INTO MY LIFE QUITE A BIT. IT, AT LEAST HAS SOMETIMES, MADE TEACHING FEEL LIKE POLICING.
FRED: AND THESE DETECTION METHODS ARE NOT FOOLPROOF. STUDENTS ONLINE SAY THAT THEY'RE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.
>> WE MIGHT FIND OUT IF I'M ABOUT TO GET KICKED OUT OF COLLEGE.
FRED: ASHLEY DUNN WAS A SENIOR AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY WHEN SHE WAS ACCUSED OF USING AI TO WRITE A SHORT ESSAY FOR A BRITISH LITERATURE CLASS, AFTER A DETECTION TOOL FLAGGED HER WRITING LAST YEAR.
>> I WAS LIKE, AM I GONNA FAIL THIS CLASS? AM I GONNA GET A ZERO? EVERY COLLEGE TAKES PLAGIARISM AND THAT KIND OF THING VERY SERIOUSLY. SO I WAS JUST FREAKING OUT.
FRED: AFTER COMMUNICATING WITH HER PROFESSOR, DUNN SAYS SHE WAS EVENTUALLY GIVEN AN A FOR THE ASSIGNMENT, BUT THE RESPONSE TO HER ON TIKTOK PROVES THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ENDED UP MAKING RESPONSES TO MY VIDEO, PRETTY MUCH SAYING THAT THEY HAD GONE THROUGH THE SAME THING, BUT THAT THEY DIDN'T REALLY GET AS LUCKY AND THEY ENDED UP EITHER GETTING ZEROS OR FAILING THE CLASS. SOME PEOPLE RECENTLY HAVE BEEN MAKING VIDEOS ABOUT, OH, MY PROFESSOR SAID THAT MY ESSAY WAS AI BECAUSE I USED AN EMDASH, AND , BUT THAT'S JUST A REGULAR WAY OF WRITING, ESPECIALLY FOR A COLLEGE LEVEL.
FRED: NOT ALL SCHOOLS ARE ANTI AI. SOME ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO EMBRACE IT. LORI KENDALL TEACHES AN ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLASS IN THE FISHER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.
>> WHEN GEN AI CAME OUT, I AND EVERY OTHER INSTRUCTOR DID, OH, GREAT. NOW WHAT? DO WE ALLOW AI? DO WE NOT ALLOW AI? AND THE REALITY IS, YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY'RE GOING TO USE IT ANYWAY.
FRED: SHE NOW ENCOURAGES HER STUDENTS TO USE TO AI TO CRITICALLY EXAMINE THEIR ORIGINAL WORK AND AS A LEARNING AID.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT USE AI JUST TO GET ASSIGNMENTS DONE OR PLAGIARISM, BUT I LIKE TO USE AI FOR DEEPER UNDERSTANDING.
FRED: RACHEL GERVAIS IS A FIRST YEAR STUDENT, MAJORING IN AIR TRANSPORTATION.
>> I OFTENTIMES USE AI TO CREATE QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS TOPIC. SO I NOT ONLY GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ACTUAL MATERIAL, BUT I ALSO CAN TEST AND SEE WHAT I NEED TO MAYBE FOCUS ON EVEN MORE.
>> IF YOU DON'T USE AI OR THE NEXT TECHNOLOGY THAT COMES ALONG TO BE EFFECTIVE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE COMPETITIVE IN THE JOB MARKET. THE JOB MARKET'S CHANGING RIGHT UNDERNEATH YOUR FEET.
>> AS THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER, I GET TO DECIDE ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ISSUES, HONOR CODE, AND VIOLATIONS.
FRED: RAVI BELLAMKONDA IS THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND PROVOST AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. HE SAYS HE WAS STRUCK BY ONE ALLEGED VIOLATION LAST YEAR, A STUDENT ACCUSED OF USING AI. IT WAS A CASE OF CHEATING, HE SAYS, BUT IT MADE HIM THINK.
>> WHAT IF THERE EXISTED TECHNOLOGY THAT INDEED LETS OUR STUDENTS PRODUCE WORK OF VERY HIGH QUALITY? SHOULDN'T WE INVESTIGATE THIS A LITTLE FURTHER?
FRED: BELLAMKONDA SPEARHEADED OHIO STATE'S NEW AI FLUENCY INITIATIVE, WHICH REQUIRES THAT ALL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, ACROSS ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES, LEARN AND USE AI TOOLS.
>> THE TRICK IS TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE ANY HUMAN INTERACTION WITH TECHNOLOGY, WHAT CAN WE OFFLOAD TO TECHNOLOGY, AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO ADD VALUE TO? OHIO STATE WANTS TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THAT CREATION OF THOSE RULES.
FRED: THAT'S PROMPTED EXPERIMENTATION ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES, LIKE MUSIC PROFESSOR TINA TALLON'S AI AND MUSIC CLASS, WHICH EXPLORES INNOVATIVE USES OF THE TECHNOLOGY.
>> I ALWAYS START THE CLASS BY ASKING THEM TO THINK ABOUT A CHALLENGE IN THEIR FIELD. AT THAT POINT, WE'RE NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT AI. I JUST WANT THEM TO IDENTIFY SOMETHING THAT EITHER THEY'VE RUN UP AGAINST OR THAT THEIR STUDENTS OR THEIR COLLEAGUES HAVE.
FRED: ONE MEMBER OF HER CLASS, TUBA INSTRUCTOR AND DOCTORAL STUDENT WILL ROESCH, IS USING AI TO ANALYZE AIRFLOW INTO HIS INSTRUMENT OVER THOUSANDS OF REPETITIONS. THE DATA WILL HELP GUIDE STUDENTS ON HOW TO PLAY THE PERFECT NOTE. ANOTHER, NATALIA MORENO BUITRAGO, IS A MUSIC EDUCATION GRAD STUDENT STUDYING HOW BABIES ACQUIRE MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE. SHE USED TO SPEND HOURS COMBING THROUGH HOME RECORDINGS OF RESEARCH SUBJECTS, LISTENING FOR MOMENTS WHEN PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS SING OR HUM AROUND THE INFANT. NOW, AI DOES THIS FOR HER.
>> IF WE CRITICALLY EXAMINE THE TOOLS THAT WE'RE ENGAGING WITH AND ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEM, I THINK WE CAN DO SOME PRETTY INCREDIBLE THINGS.
FRED: BUT, INEVITABLY, THESE TOLLS ALSO BRING MAJOR DISRUPTION, BOTH TO ACADEMIA, AND TO THE JOBS STUDENTS HOPE TO SOMEDAY FILL.
>> HOW DO WE GO THROUGH A TRANSFORMATIVE MOMENT LIKE THIS WITH THE DISRUPTIONS THAT IT IS GOING TO CAUSE AND YET DO THIS IN A WAY THAT ULTIMATELY IS ADDITIVE TO US AS A SOCIETY? THAT IT IMPROVES OUR LOT AS HUMAN BEINGS?
FRED: A QUESTION WITHOUT A CLEAR ANSWER, HE SAYS, BUT ONE THAT STUDENTS SHOULD HELP TACKLE. FOR THE PBS "NEWS HOUR," I'M FRED DE SAM LAZARO, IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. ♪