Recently, Ella Stapleton, a student from Northeastern University in the United States, was shocked to find that her business professor, Rick Arrowood, had used ChatGPT to generate content for his lecture materials during class. While reviewing the materials, Stapleton noticed clear signs of ChatGPT references, spelling errors, and unnecessary limbs in images, all of which suggested AI involvement.
Image source note: Image generated by AI, licensed through Midjourney service provider.
Stapleton said: "He repeatedly told us not to use AI, but he himself was using it." To file a complaint about this incident, Stapleton held multiple discussions with school administrators and requested a refund of her $8,000 tuition fee. However, the school ultimately decided against a refund.
The New York Times reported on the event, and many educators do not see this behavior as a big problem. Paul Shovlin, an English teacher and AI researcher at Ohio University, commented that the students' perception of professors who use AI as "monsters" is "absurd." He pointed out that there are no "one-size-fits-all" standards for using AI in the classroom.
However, more people are beginning to view the use of AI in the workplace negatively. A new study from Duke University found that employees who use AI often face social evaluations from their colleagues, despite AI's ability to improve efficiency. The use of AI also brings social costs.
In this incident, Professor Arrowood realized the seriousness of the issue. He admitted that he used AI tools to refresh his lecture content, but he did not carefully check the output results, leading to obvious errors. He said: "Looking back, I wish I could have examined these contents more carefully." Arrowood now believes that professors should be more cautious when using AI and disclose relevant information to students. He hopes his experience can serve as a lesson for others.
Key points:
🌟 A student discovers a professor using AI to generate lecture materials, requests a tuition refund but is denied.
📚 Educators see this as no major issue, suggesting it should not be over-interpreted.
🤖 Negative views on using AI in the workplace are growing; social costs cannot be ignored.