According to ChatGPT, “ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is a type of artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI. It is designed to understand and generate human-like text based on the input it receives… ChatGPT is pre-trained on a massive amount of text from the internet, which helps it learn grammar, context, and various language patterns. This training allows it to generate responses that are often coherent and relevant to the input it receives… It can be used for a wide range of applications, such as answering questions, providing information, assisting with tasks, and engaging in conversation. The more people use and interact with ChatGPT, the better it becomes at understanding and generating human language” (OpenAI, 2023).
Essentially, ChatGPT is a powerful chatbot that can answer questions put forward by users. It is not a search engine that retrieves already existing information from the internet, instead it creates outputs based on information already stored in its databases. ChatGPT uses mathematical formulas to make informed guesses at to what an appropriate response to a query would be, as such ChatGPT can sometimes guess wrongly and its response to a query can be nonsensical (University of Michigan Library, 2023).
"Updated on February 23, 2015" by delgrosso is licensed under CC By-SA 2.0
Artificial Intelligence, which powers ChatGPT, poses significant challenges and/or concerns to those interested in maintaining and upholding Academic Integrity. Known as Academic Honesty at Niagara College, Academic Integrity means acting "in an honest and trustworthy manner in all aspects of [one's] academic career," and, more specifically, refraining from "[e]ngaging in any form of academic dishonesty to obtain any type of academic advantage or credit" (Niagara College, 2019). Therefore, the use of a work derived from Artificial Intelligence, without acknowledgement and/or proper citation, would be considered an academically dishonest act at Niagara College. ChatGPT should only be used when permission has been given by your professor to do so, and you should always cite the portions of your finished product or project that were taken from ChatGPT according to the citation style you have been assigned.
For more information on ChatGPT and Academic Integrity, consult the following resources:
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