Even Elite University Students' Writing is Poor; Professor of 60 Years Catches ChatGPT Assignments Instantly

Steve Hanke, an applied economics professor at Johns Hopkins University with nearly 60 years of teaching experience, asserts that distinguishing between student-written and AI-generated assignments is straightforward. He believes that the rise of generative AI in academic settings presents no significant challenge for experienced educators.

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It is very easy to distinguish between a student's writing and AI-generated writing.

Hanke, who describes himself as an "old fox," explained that students' generally weak writing abilities, even at prestigious universities, make AI-generated text more conspicuous. Furthermore, his deep familiarity with each student's academic performance and understanding of economics allows him to easily spot discrepancies between their usual work and AI-produced submissions.

"The only difference is that the 'old fox' has to be more vigilant than before," Hanke commented on the impact of AI. His observations echo those of Drew Gilpin Faust, a former dean of admissions at Harvard and Columbia universities, who noted that AI use becomes "almost always obvious" when a student's submitted work doesn't align with their demonstrated critical thinking and writing skills.

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The only difference is that the 'old fox' has to be more vigilant than before.

As generative AI becomes more integrated into academic tasks, educational institutions are exploring methods to curb its misuse. Some instructors are designing assignments that are more challenging for AI to complete or are reintroducing handwritten submissions to verify student authorship and prevent academic dishonesty.

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it becomes almost always obvious