Very recently, I was accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat in my second semester American History class at the University of Texas at El Paso. I went to check my grades, and saw that I got zero points for two assignments: a short answer quiz on the Gilded Age and a short essay comparing Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. The only comments from the professor were “significant AI content detected, automatic zero.” I certainly do not expect to be catered to, but issuing that kind of fire and forget comment, with no additional contact with the student I find quite rude. Especially when the student in question, myself, did not use AI. Nor have I ever, in anything.
To give a little background about my situation, I am 45 years old, a retired Naval Aviator and Aerospace Operational Physiologist, and am I going back to school using my G.I. Bill to pursue degrees in Creative Writing and English and American Literature. I’m doing this solely for my own personal pursuit of knowledge, and to explore subjects I love but didn’t have the time to explore the first time I went through university. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master's degree in Leadership, Education, and Development from the University of Maryland. I have been an aircraft commander of a war fighting helicopter, a Company Officer and teacher at the United States Naval Academy, and an instructor of aviators, flight officers, and aircrewmen throughout the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. While on active duty, I was one of the subject matter experts on night vision googles and spatial disorientation, water survival, and all things related to aviation physiology. I have the integrity expected of our service members and officers. To be accused as a cheater is a significant affront to me as a person. I am taking this American History class because it is mandated by the state of Texas. Because I did not go to high school in Texas, or have a previous degree from a Texas state institution, I am required, regardless of my background and experience, to take this class in order to receive a degree at all. I do not need to cheat to pass this class.
Maybe some of you find it hard to believe, but I have truly never used AI. I come from the time before the internet, when we had to walk 10 miles to school and back in the snow…. just kidding. But when we did have to go to the library and use the Dewey Decimal System — Gasp! The horror! — to look for books, and then physically read those books and take notes in order to write an essay. It was a huge deal when I went on a tour of Boston University in 1996 (which I attended on a full scholarship) and they told us that each student would have the internet available in each of their rooms. Whoa — the future! I didn’t have a car or a cell phone until I turned 21, when I graduated from BU. I was in the middle of flight school in Corpus Christi, Texas on September 11, 2001, and have had to do many difficult physical and mental things in the service of our country. And never once did I ever think of cheating to get by.
I found myself completely flabbergasted that at this point in my life, I was being called out for cheating. Is it entirely impossible that someone, sometime before I wrote my answers, had written sentences that were extremely similar to mine? Of course. How many people have written about the Gilded Age, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. DuBois over the last 100 years? Thousands, I’m sure. And there are only so many words in the English language with which to compose an academic essay on these topics. But this does not infer that a computer was used to assist me in generating my answers. In this class, we are required to use a lockdown browser when submitting assessments (all of which have a time limit, usually no more than 1 hour) on Blackboard. It prevents you from opening any other windows on your computer - presumably to cheat. I use the book, and my notes, just like a good ole Gen X student would do. I am no Luddite, but I really don’t have the time to figure out how to use AI to cheat, while simultaneously using this lockdown browser. And maybe I’ve naive, or just ignorant about AI (fact), but it seems to me that it would take more time to juggle using it to compose an essay, in an already time-starved environment. Maybe not, I honestly don’t know. And that’s intentional. I have avoided using AI, especially because of my position as a student. Why tempt fate? And yet, here we are.
I am a decent writer. I love to read, and have been an avid reader my entire life. I journal almost every day. I would love to write a novel one day, if I can. This entire situation begs the question: if my answers are intelligent, coherent, well-constructed academic responses at the standard I have come to expect from myself and other educated professionals, what are the other students submitting? Is the quality of their writing so low, that when someone who can eloquently write in the English language gets accused of cheating? Your writing cannot be that good, no ma’am — implying that humans aren’t capable of writing with quality equal to that of a super computer. And here, for me, is the crux of the issue. Can AI coexist with education? I mean, it is already, but at what cost? Did the other kids in my history class really learn how to write before they found themselves at an institution of higher learning? Or were they allowed, consciously or otherwise, to get by in middle and high school by plugging their questions into their laptops and phones, and having the answers magically spit out for them? Is my accusation of cheating a direct reflection of the sad state of affairs of K-12 education in this country? I think yes, it is.
In my adrenaline-fueled shock after being accused, I reached out to my first semester American History professor and asked him for his help, if required. I wrote two papers for him, on both of which I received As, one with full marks. I explained the situation to him, and asked if it became necessary, if he would please vouch for me and my writing skills. He replied that he would. He also astutely summarized the exact conundrum I find myself in: that “this is one of the most ironic and dire consequences of widespread AI use—that actually good writers become suspect.”
AI is here, whether we like it or not. It is a crutch for the lazy. Maybe a tool for those who need a little assistance. But I fear it is replacing actual learning. Should AI also be weaponized against students who are actually doing good work? Work that is actually worthy of a university degree? Basic skills in simple research, note taking, and composition cannot be underestimated. Yes, it takes work, and time. But education isn’t simply about learning about things, it’s about learning how to get through them as well. I was a straight-A student all through school and was the valedictorian of my high school class. I didn’t encounter true stress in learning until I got to flight school, and I was not equipped with the stress management skills I needed. I realized quickly that I needed to get my act together or I wasn’t going to make it through. And I did. I learned more about managing my emotions and handling stress in a time-critical environment in those last few months of 2001 than I ever had in my life before. Now, not everyone needs to go through such an experience as military flight school. But education is just as much about learning how to react to undesirable situations as it is about learning facts. And looking for answers with AI isn’t going to help students evolve in developing their own innate intelligence.
Fortunately, the professor in question was willing to meet with me to discuss this. I explained my position, and he agreed to re-grade those assignment and give me credit. He told me one of my short answers came back as being 99.9% auto-generated in whatever AI detector he used. So, did I write the perfect answer? And is that grounds for identifying someone as a cheater? I don’t think it can be quite that black and white. Also, how ironic is it that he just took the bot’s word for it, leaving me, the human being, without a chance to respond? I do understand the position he is in, trying to dissuade students from using AI and intentionally curating their critical thinking and analysis skills. In the grand scheme of things, I know would have passed this class regardless. But this is so much greater than getting a good grade on a basic quiz. It’s a testament to where education is heading.
AI might have its uses in science and math, but in the humanities and other areas where creativity is essential, I don’t think it’s encouraging development, it’s doing exactly the opposite. If we are to truly educate our children, and foster them to continue that education on throughout their lives, what place do shortcuts have in the process? They don’t. Sometimes you just have to do things the long way — the hard way. Put aside the computers, get out that pencil, and start taking notes. Draw by hand. Be prepared to make mistakes. Erase them. Learn from those mistakes. Individually, you’ll be all the better for it, and our entire society will be as well.