I was interviewed by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) about the incident in NTU where three students were accused of academic misconduct over the use of #GenAI, though they claimed they did not use GenAI to write their essays. Here’s what I shared with them:
Jonathan Sim, who teaches AI and philosophy at National University of Singapore, urged educators to exercise nuance and improve their knowledge of AI tools. “The main message is everyone needs to upskill. Educators are no exception.”
He also pointed out that generative AI was becoming increasingly commonplace and available on search engines such as Google.
Fong agreed and said: “The instructors and lecturers have an onus not to vilify AI … Creating a culture of ignorance when students use GenAI in their daily life is like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand and ignoring what’s going on in the world.”
Sim echoed his university’s emphasis on trust between students and teachers in dealing with generative AI disputes. He noted that what was needed urgently in the education system was to build trust between teachers, students and the AI tools.
“Since the day ChatGPT came out, trust has been fractured between teachers and students. And we need that trust for teaching and learning to be effective. This is not an AI issue – it is a human issue.”
Jonathan Y. H. Sim 