The Ethics of Using ChatGPT
A recent survey by Pew Research shows a rapid increase in the number of teens who use ChatGPT to complete assignments. While two times the number of students use it now compared with 2023, it’s likely that the usage rate is higher. It’s logical to assume that a student-user of ChatGPT may be reluctant to admit it regardless of it being an anonymous survey. Moreover, the new models that have come out since the original study using ChatGPT 3.0–ChatGPT 3.5, 4.0 and 4o–, have made it appealing for students to use it because it’s accuracy has been increasing with more sophisticated AI.
What to Do About Cheating?
ChatGPT is trained on a large data set, which may include biased or outdated information. This can result in the generation of biased data or incorrect text, particularly in sensitive or controversial topics. Educators should carefully evaluate whether this is the case in analyzing responses from ChatGPT.
ChatGPT’s usefulness is based on its ability to provide information that accurately explains key concepts, reliably analyzes data, and clearly reports the results of processing information that it is fed. Several studies have shown that ChatGPT lacks a deep understanding of the meaning of the text it generates. This can lead to errors and inconsistencies in the output, particularly when generating text for more complex or nuanced topics such as provided in case studies.
Educators are cautioned that ChatGPT is dependent on the data it is fed to make inferences and return accurate information. According to Pavlik, given its ability to produce massive amounts of data instantly, students may use it for cheating on examinations, homework, and assignments. Cotton suggests that this can lead to discrepancies in learning results that harm the quality of teaching and learning.
Educators should also weigh the potential harmful effects of allowing students to use ChatGPT with benefits such as it can facilitate using advanced teaching methodologies, promote interactive learning, and develop students’ critical thinking skills. ChatGPT can be used to solve complex problems, generate summaries and reports, make recommendations, and conduct data analysis.
I have blogged about the problem previously and said there is a need to develop a counteracting response program to ChatGPT cheating. A good place to start is to discuss the ethics of using ChatGPT with students. Ethical values such as honesty, integrity and responsibility should be discussed. For example, who is responsible for a students’ work? Obviously, it’s the student. Why? In addition to these values, the ethical issue of fairness should be discussed. If students are allowed to cheat unabated, then those students who don’t cheat are at a distinct disadvantage. Beyond that, a harsh penalty should be meted out to students who have used ChatGPT in their assignments, assuming this can be proven and that the instructor made it clear this wasn’t acceptable behavior.
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
The Pew survey results show that students are more likely to use ChatGPT to help with research papers and less likely to use it to solve math problems and write essays. A common criticism of ChatGPT is that it may prevent students from developing their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is an issue given that ChatGPT is used to analyze, evaluate, and form judgments, processes that may not be fully evolved.
Burney and co-authors believe it has the potential to revolutionize the learning for educators and students including to foster students’ critical thinking skills. Bai and his co-authors, contend that, ChatGPT can be used to develop various skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication by generating scenarios, providing feedback, and offering suggestions through assignments requiring students to critically evaluate responses generated by ChatGPT. They also point out that the model can serve as an initial reference point for research projects, encouraging students to verify, elaborate upon, or even challenge the information provided. They suggest that educators should incorporate activities that promote the cultivation of critical thinking.
Abramson, however, contends that rather than weaken student effort, AI can help prepare students for the real world by encouraging critical thinking about class concepts. Critical thinking skills enable students to analyze a set of facts and decide what is relevant to the solution of a problem and what is not. These skills can be used to resolve ethical conflicts that are presented in case studies, such as the ones used as the basis for this paper. One problem is if the answers provided by ChatGPT are not reliable then students would be using erroneous results as the basis for judgments that apply critical thinking skills to a dataset.
Conclusion
The purpose of using ChatGPT in the classroom is to enhance student learning. ChatGPT can be used as a tool to provide an initial reference point that is built on through the analysis of information to a problem at hand. ChatGPT and artificial intelligence are here to stay. We need to inform our students about the potentially powerful technical capabilities that artificial intelligence offers so they can contribute effectively to tomorrow’s workforce and society at large. Educators should learn how to use it as one tool in their toolbox and not dismiss it out of hand because of plagiarism concerns.
It is easy enough to obtain software to check student answers against ChatGPT, such as Turnitin, and assess whether students are using ChatGPT the way it was meant to be used and not as a replacement for essays, research papers, or answers to discussion questions. Turnitin can analyze text and provide a probability score indicating the likelihood of AI-generated content. However, instructors need to be aware that products like Turnitin are not considered to be 100 percent accurate in identifying the use of AI.
In conclusion, while there are potential benefits to the use of ChatGPT, it is important for educators to address the ethical concerns raised by its use before deciding to allow it for their students. This includes developing ethical guidelines and standards, involving all stakeholders in the conversation, and being proactive in addressing the potential impact of AI on the educational process. By doing so, educators can take the steps necessary to ensure that the use of ChatGPT does not have any negative effects such as biased results that could be harmful to the user.
Posted by Dr. Steven Mintz, aka Ethics Sage, on July 15, 2025. Learn more about his activities at: https://www.stevenmintzethics.com/ and signing up for the newsletter.