An example of Harmful Effects of AI Detection: Student to Teacher open letter

Background:

In this article, we display an open letter from a 9th-grade Student to a Teacher regarding AI Detection and its harmful nature. This student has repeatedly been badgered by this teacher for months as they write in an overly Formulaic style that routinely gets caught by the teacher's use of Turnitin AI Detection as the sole means of conveying a guilty verdict.  The other key here is the Student has an immaculate school record, does all their work early, and always way more than asked for. The student is a classic example of an overachiever.

This student has had to rewrite 4 papers for this class, including one by hand with no computer or reference materials. The student went from loving school to dreading going to school in a span of 3 months!

Dear <Teacher> 

I am writing this letter to address the issue that arose between us last fall. You accused me of using AI, when I didn’t, which caused me a great deal of stress. Despite my explanation, you believed the 29% AI and plagiarism rating from Turnitin, even though it admits to giving some false positives. You also relied on Google Docs Version History, not taking into account its inability to consider a human's complex writing. What was even worse, was when you claimed that since you couldn't find my work on the internet, and because it was too good to be written by me, it must have been written by AI. 

This incident made me want to take a stand on this issue and hopefully convince you to consider changing how <School> detects plagiarism and AI. Additionally, I hope you will help develop guidelines for their use. Recognizing that using plagiarism and AI detectors might not always be a good source of detecting cheating is important. Using them can be a double-edged sword; it promises to help educators while having the potential to create more problems. 

For context, Generative AI is a tool that uses algorithms to create content like images, music, or text based on patterns learned from existing data. This technology has the potential to be very helpful, but also harmful, due to it becoming very difficult to differentiate between humans and AI. 

Recent studies have shown that most plagiarism and AI detection software programs are inaccurate and produce false positives. The Prompt Engineering and AI Institute reports that many detection programs are only 20-30% accurate and can miss plagiarism that is not word-for-word. This highlights the need for schools to use detecting methods that are more accurate, but you must keep in mind that technology isn't perfect. 

Additionally, according to a New York Times article, the amount of cheating in schools has not increased since the uptick of AI. Although some students may use AI tools to cheat, most do their work properly. Nonetheless, when a student is accused of using AI, they are often presumed guilty until proven innocent. This creates a hostile learning environment, discouraging students from their work. To fix this, students should be given the benefit of the doubt, and schools should work to create a fair and supportive environment. 

After all this, I hope you recognize that AI and plagiarism detectors aren’t usually a good source of detecting when someone is cheating. Moreover, I hope that as this technology evolves, you work with schools to create transparent guidelines for identifying AI and plagiarism. This will hopefully create a better future for your students, as well as ensure that they are treated fairly and are properly informed about AI. 

Sincerely, 

<Student>

Works Cited: 

Ramlochan, Sunil. “The Truth About AI Detectors - More Harm Than Good.” Prompt Engineering and AI Institute. 6 November 2023. 

Singer, Natasha. “Cheating Fears Over Chatbots Were Overblown, New Research Suggests.” The New York Times. 13 December 2023. 

“What is Generative AI?” Mckenzie and Company. 2 April 2024. 

Artist's Statement (Written from a rubric): 

As an artist, I believe that the key to creating meaningful work is to draw inspiration from personal experiences and knowledge. Through my recent open letter assignment, I learned the importance of incorporating personal experience and insider knowledge into my writing to develop a nuanced understanding of the topic. I found it challenging to balance my personal experiences and knowledge with the need to create a well-researched and thought-provoking essay. It was easy, however, to convey my message by using clear and concise language that would engage the reader. 

In my open letter to <Teacher>, I discussed the topic of plagiarism detection software in schools and its potential impacts on students. I shared my personal experiences with AI technology and how it has the potential to create more problems than it solves. I highlighted the need for schools to use more accurate detecting methods. Furthermore, I discussed the importance of creating a fair and supportive environment for all students, giving them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to AI usage. I concluded by emphasizing the need for clear and transparent guidelines for identifying and addressing AI use in schools to ensure that students are properly informed and educated about AI. 

Overall, this open letter assignment reinforced the importance of incorporating personal experiences and knowledge into my writing while maintaining a well-researched and thought-provoking essay. I learned that clear and concise language is essential in conveying my message to the reader. Moving forward, I will continue to draw inspiration from my personal experiences and knowledge to create meaningful work that engages and informs the audience.