AI threatens to undermine third-level qualifications, conference hears

Confidence in qualifications handed out by Ireland’s third-level education system is in danger of being undermined by the improper or unchannelled use of artificial intelligence (AI) by students, a conference had heard.

The event, organised by the Irish Federation of University Teachers and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland on Friday heard policies on how to deal with use of the technology are still developing but struggling to keep up.

Almost 90 per cent of academics surveyed by the two unions said they encountered issues involving AI frequently or occasionally (54 and 33 per cent respectively) and 83 per cent said they continued to have concerns with regard to academic integrity and plagiarism.

Speakers at the event, held at the Technological University Dublin, said it was essential that face-to-face engagement with individual students was maintained so as to establish the presence of “human judgment” in submitted work.

A number of academics suggested their institutions have considered allowing students use AI in whatever way they want but also requiring them to demonstrate an understanding of the results and how they were arrived at.

[ Students suspected of AI misuse to face in-person interviews under new recommendationsOpens in new window ]

Such monitoring is time-consuming and expensive, however. James O’Sullivan of University College Cork asked: “Who is going to pay for all of that? Higher education was already underfunded before all of this came along”.

Much more effective action can be taken to improve the way it is used in third-level institutions, he said, but the funding available needs to reflect the critical nature of the issue.

He said the best results were being seen in institutions with the resources to allocate full-time staff to the area, though many could not.

He said money spent by the Government was sometimes poorly directed, describing the information website AIReady.ie as an example.

[ Artificial intelligence is here ... and it is already rewriting the rules of educationOpens in new window ]

Denise MacGiolla Rí of Technical University of the Shannon said the institution had developed a tiered programme of integration of AI, ranging from prohibition to full engagement.

He said academics need to be clear on the outcomes they want to see for students when deciding on the level of AI usage.