Cheaters beware: AI is now being used to catch students who cheat

In many schools, students are using AI for homework, resulting in work that looks much neater and more perfect. Meanwhile, teachers and schools are now working on catching cheaters with the help of AI tools and training.

Over the past few months, an interesting change has been observed in many schools across the country. Teachers are surprised that students' homework is not only being submitted on time, but its language, neatness, and presentation have also improved significantly. Initially, teachers thought that the children had started working harder, but a deeper investigation revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) plays a major role in this change.

Today, free AI tools are readily available. Children are using them to solve math problems, write long essays, and prepare projects. In many cases, students simply input the question and get the complete answer in a few seconds. This is why it took some time for teachers in many schools to understand how the children's work suddenly became so perfect.

According to media reports, Preeti Sridharan, a teacher at KC High International School in Chennai, had a similar experience. She became suspicious after seeing some assignments where the language was far better than the students' usual level. The school then resorted to platforms like 'Turnitin'. Previously, this tool only detected copy-pasted content and content lifted from the internet, but now it can also identify content generated by AI. This is proving very helpful for teachers.

However, the story doesn't end there. Some students have become so clever that they slightly modify the answers received from AI, rearrange the words, or use paraphrasing tools to avoid being caught. In such cases, it becomes even more difficult for teachers to detect cheating.

Special training programs launched

Considering this changing scenario, IIT Madras has also launched special training programs for teachers. These training sessions are teaching teachers how to use AI not as an enemy, but as a helpful tool. They are being taught how to make learning easier with the help of AI, and also how to detect cheating. Many teachers believe that if used correctly, AI can further improve the quality of education.

What do the experts say?

Education experts say that simply changing the way papers are graded will not be enough. Assignments also need to be made more creative. Questions should be designed to encourage students to write about their experiences, thoughts, and understanding. For example, instead of simply asking "Write an essay on this topic," questions like "Explain this topic using examples from your surroundings" would be more effective. This will give children the opportunity to think for themselves and make it difficult for them to rely entirely on AI.