Commentary: Do you think ChatGPT can write as well as humans? My students disagree

Some argue that AI-powered writing tools can help users in many ways. Writing an article outline can help you check grammar and tackle writer’s roadblocks. Outsourcing these tasks to her AI allows writers to focus on the essence and content of their arguments and stories.

Honesty and accountability questions

In addition to the Fort Siloso article that my students criticized for being inhuman, I asked ChatGPT to write another version using a first-person perspective. It was equally logical and well written, but more engaging.

However, the article produced was dishonest. One paragraph read, “Upon entering the fort, we were greeted by a knowledgeable guide who gave us an overview of the fort’s history.” How can an AI program describe an unseen sight about an unseen direct experience?

Some of my students have also pointed out factual errors. In fact, when a colleague of mine tested his ChatGPT by asking him to write short biographies of faculty members, many of the details it contained were incorrect.

When I wrote a literature review and urged them to include a reference list, the references they could not find were listed, and papers were cited for information not discussed there.

If ChatGPT was used to generate this comment and it contained a factual error, who should be held responsible for the error?

Bylines are not only intended to acknowledge the author’s efforts and original opinions, but also for accountability purposes. These identify the writers responsible for what is being communicated in the article.