Queensland will join New South Wales in banning ChatGPT access in state schools. On Sunday morning, sources reported that the NSW Department of Education would ban technology using a firewall. This comes amid growing concern over bots being used to cheat in assessments.
Students in NSW won’t be able to access artificial intelligence apps, including ChatGPT, while at school. Access is restricted to students’ devices and school networks.
A spokesperson for the Queensland department stated that the department would review ChatGPT technology. “The department has an internet content filtering system that continuously assesses the web and blocks any content that could threaten students.”
Megan Kelly, acting deputy secretary for learning improvement at the NSW Department of Education, stated that the ban would be in effect when students return to school later in the month. It will remain in place while the department reviews how to use “safely” and appropriately emerging technology in the classroom.
The technology would be currently only available to staff members. She stated that ChatGPT’s Terms of Use require ChatGPT users to be at least 18 years old. “More important, there are no reliable safeguards to prevent these tools from exposing students and their children to explicit or harmful content.”
ChatGPT generates text on any topic in response to a question or prompt. This has raised the alarm about the potential misuse of its ability to create human-like responses that avoid plagiarism detection.
New York’s public schools have already implemented a similar ban due to concerns about its “negative effect on student learning.” Some Australian universities are now trying to combat ChatGPT by returning pen-and-paper assessments to more supervision.
Some schools may not be open to technology. Sydney Catholic Schools informed reporters that they would not impose a ban. On Saturday, the Islamic College of Brisbane said it would revise the curriculum for ChatGPT to make it a teaching tool.
Ali Kadri, the school’s chief executive, stated that technology could “unlock student creativity and offer personalized tutoring” and help students prepare to work with AI systems as adults.
Dr. Stefan Popenici, a Charles Darwin University expert in artificial intelligence, said that blanket bans on artificial technology were the worst reaction and did not recognize the opportunities the platforms presented.
He stated that it was foolish to believe it would be possible for internet platforms to be restricted, especially with Microsoft preparing to integrate ChatGPT into Bing.
He asked, “Are we going to ban Google or Bing?” “It’s impossible and difficult for me to comprehend this logic… It’s an outdated and unsuitable way of thinking about education.
“It’s out of the bottle; with us, there will be more AI applications.” We should not ban it but use it to our advantage.”
Popenici stated that panic had set in across the education sector following the release of ChatGPT in November. This was due to a lack of vision by institutions and departments.
He stated, “We have something which will transform education as we know, and we’re returning to pen and paper, bow and arrows. It’s very sad, and it’s just not going to work.”
Related Stories: