NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — "AI" or artificial intelligence, is sweeping across academia, specifically when it comes to something called "ChatGPT."
Here's how it works — ChatGPT prompts you to type something into a field. For this example, we'll use "Write a summary of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet."
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In just seconds, the robot gives an answer.
But there is a disclaimer to all of this.
ChatGPT's homepage has a statement that reads "may occasionally generate incorrect information."
Christopher Newport University's Dean of Admissions Robert Lange said they're closely watching for AI-generated admissions essays, and they're considering other methods.
"The are other ways to review an essay such as a video essay that would go around the benefit of ChatGPT," he said.
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English professor Jason Carney said he can spot the difference between what someone actually wrote and what a bot spit out.
"Human intelligence is still going to be very necessary for good writing," he said. "ChatGPT doesn't hold a candle to a good pro stylist today."
Carney said the truth will eventually reveal itself.
"If you're using ChatGPT to present yourself as an intellectual, it's eventually going to come through to your professor that there is a disconnect here."
But he is concerned about this:
"Job letters, admissions essays, context where you don't have the knowledge to clarify this is that person's work," he said. "There's always a way to cheat processes, even the admission one."
Lange said the technology is a double-edged sword.
"The good news of technology's way-of-cheating process is that typically, there's technology on the other side of detection," he said.
