PETALING JAYA: An academic has warned students against using artificial intelligence (AI) to produce their assignments and theses, as it is tantamount to cheating and will cause diminished critical thinking abilities and a limited grasp of topics learned.
Former dean of the Creative Technology and Heritage Faculty at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Assoc Prof Ahamad Tarmizi Azizan, was commenting on growing interest in the use of AI among students to assist them in their academic tasks, particularly in completing assignments.
A survey published by data provider Statista in the fourth quarter of last year revealed that 60% of Malaysian respondents were aware of AI, while a recent survey by Forbes magazine in the US indicated that 43% of college students use ChatGPT to complete their assignments, and the practice was considered cheating.
Ahamad Tarmizi told theSun: “As an academician, I understand the concerns surrounding students using AI to complete their assignments. I neither strictly prohibit the use or practice of using AI in academic work, nor do I welcome it. The decision depends on the policy and guidelines set by the relevant academic institution, lecturer or educational supervisory body.
“However, I fear that using AI extensively could result in inadequate comprehension of subject matter, especially if students solely rely on AI to produce their work.
“Some common pitfalls include hindering the development of critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of a subject matter. There may be a lack of conceptual understanding as well if students rely solely on AI-generated results without comprehending the underlying theories.”
While considering academic integrity, Ahamad Tarmizi said plagiarism and academic integrity are significant concerns as well, as improper use of AI can lead to taking credit for the work of others without appropriate attribution.
An AI chatbot user from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, who wished to be known only as Sharma, said AI helps him to complete his assignments before the due dates.
“After the mid-semester break, there are a lot of assignments and quizzes that we need to complete before the deadlines. AI is a life saver for many students, including myself.
“It is essential as it enables us to balance our education with our professional and personal responsibilities. Yet, I don’t recommend that users depend solely on AI to complete their work. Instead, they can use it as a complementary tool for ideas to develop their assignments,” he said.
While some students see the use of AI as valuable to improve their efficiency and grades, others consider it as a form of cheating and stealing future jobs.
Zulaika Rashid, a part-time Master of Multimedia Studies student from Universiti Utara Malaysia, said the emergence of AI is a threat to the career prospects of new graduates. This is because using AI to generate concepts and replace traditional brainwork is becoming increasingly common.
“AI offers personalised support to every user. This means we can get individual attention and assistance with the topics we are struggling with.
“As AI becomes more advanced and capable of performing tasks such as photo and video editing, there may be less demand for human workers in these fields,” she said.
“This has led to some employers opting to replace humans with AI technology to reduce costs and enhance efficiency.
“There may be concerns about the ethics of using AI to manipulate or alter media content in ways that are not transparent or truthful.”
Ahamad Tarmizi, who is also Southeast Asian Digital Art Association president, added: “The implementation of AI technology has proven that many jobs will be replaced by it in the future.
“Fields of work that are likely to be affected by AI include jobs in administrative and data processing, manufacturing, customer service, transport, agriculture, journalism and writing, healthcare, law and education.
“In Western countries, several employers have already replaced their workers with AI technology in various fields such as character production, advertising creation, illustration, and more.
“It may not be so obvious, but Malaysia is also normalising the use of AI.”
