Chat GPT: Blocked!- Molly N
Chat GPT took the internet by storm in March 2023, reaching 100 million users in just 2 months. To put that in perspective, it took TikTok 9 months to reach 100 million users, Instagram 2 and a half years, and Snapchat 3 years and 8 months. Chat GPT has definitely faced some controversy as people are cautious about AI (in case it takes over the world) but generally the population has accepted this revolutionary method to use the internet.
However, people are quickly realising that despite how useful Chat GPT is, it has its drawbacks, one of them being that it can write for you. RHS has picked up on this and it is now blocked on the school devices. For some, this hasn’t made an impact at all, but for others, it is devastating. Therefore, I would like to say my opinion on this matter, but I will have to tread lightly!
I think that it will probably be best to agree with the school first; the most significant drawback to Chat GPT is that it is so easy to ask it to write your homework or essay for you. Now, I am not sure if this classes as plagiarism, as technically AI generated the work so you aren’t copying another person’s work, however, I think it is safe to say that you aren’t doing it yourself. This is an obvious problem in education as you cannot learn from simply copying things down without doing any ‘proper’ research.
However, many people (including myself) used Chat GPT not to copy word for word, but to get ideas from. Despite what some people may think, it is actually a very useful learning device as it has internet access, meaning that it gathers information from many sources. This makes research much easier, but I doubt any more reliable. As well as information, it can provide ideas for things such as formats or simply for some inspiration. For example, I used Chat GPT to help me open this article, but don’t worry, I did not plagiarise! Of course, it is very difficult for RHS to know who is using the app sensibly, and so I understand the need to block it. However, one could argue that it is in fact a learning device, so should we not have the right to access it?
This is obviously a very tricky subject to come to a conclusion on. For starters, I do not wish to offend the school on its decision (that would not be a good idea!), and secondly, there are so many viewpoints you could look at this from, both from a student and an educational board. Therefore, unfortunately, I will not be coming to a decision on whether I think that Chat GPT should have been blocked- sorry for the underwhelming ending.
EDIT: I have been updated that the school has not intentionally blocked Chat GPT, and they are looking to change the WIFI filter (thank goodness!)
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