Using AI isn’t automatic plagiarism

​Introduction

When people first encountered the variety and quality of text that modern AI large language models (LLMs) can produce in seconds, many raised concerns about whether this technology would exacerbate the problem of plagiarism, or inadvertently make it harder to achieve accurate results in meaningful settings like academia and professional situations.

These concerns are understandable; however, a better understanding of how LLMs function can help demystify what constitutes problematic use of these powerful new writing tools.‍

In short, using AI to assist in academic writing isn’t automatically an act of plagiarism, even if the outputs resemble similar content created by others. However, those with less scrupulous intentions might use AI chatbots to plagiarize written work.

Plagiarism primarily revolves around accurately attributing credit for unique ideas and concepts we use. This principle was true prior to the advent of generative AI, and it remains relevant in our AI-integrated society.

Key Concepts

1. Understanding AI-Generated Content: Explanation of how AI generates text and its distinctions from human-written text.
2. Ethical Use of AI in Writing: Guidelines on responsibly using AI tools to assist with academic writing without committing plagiarism.
3. Attribution and Originality: Importance of proper citation and ensuring the originality of content produced with AI assistance.
4. Transparency of AI Use: Emphasizing the importance of openly acknowledging AI assistance in writing to build trust and maintain ethical standards.

How does AI generate text?

‍Large language models are engineered by training computer systems with extensive databases that nearly encompass the internet. This training involves at least one computer scientist feeding text through an AI model to decipher patterns within different types of data. Across trillions of data points, the AI measures probabilities and relationships between small text fragments and their order.

‍These models then predict new sequences of text based on what they learned. For example, a user might provide an assignment prompt like:

‍Write me a poem about ice cream

‍The AI would analyze all the words and predict subsequent words to format a poem about ice cream, similar to human-written text!

‍If this seems somewhat miraculous or unnerving, you're not alone. Only a few years ago, such creative synthesis was exclusive to humans.

‍With vast text databases and adequate computing power, generative AI companies refine the ability of computers to use advanced AI algorithms and simulate complex human language abilities.

Ethical use to avoid AI plagiarism risks

‍How should we ethically use AI in academic writing? Here are some key points:

Human-AI loop

‍AI-assisted writing should start and end with you, the human writer. The process begins with you as the author, using AI for tasks like brainstorming and editing, while ensuring the final piece reflects your thinking, unless properly cited. This approach accelerates the writing process while maintaining accountability and content originality throughout your publications.

Attribution and Originality

More writers are acknowledging their use of AI during the writing process. It is possible that, as society progresses, acknowledging AI assistance in creating content will become a norm or best practice to acknowledge its role and maintain transparency. It’s still a very good idea to use proper citations when possible.

Transparency in AI Use

Being open about using AI tools in your writing not only builds trust but also highlights the collaborative nature of technology and human creativity. By showing how AI contributes to your process, you can demonstrate the value it adds and ensure informed discussions about authorship. Transparency with AI use helps in maintaining ethical standards and encourages a deeper understanding of how technology complements human effort.

Currently, clearly stating AI usage is a personal choice, but testing audience reactions in low-stakes situations could prove informative.

Challenges with similarity checker tools

With the rapid advancement of AI, similarity checker tools face growing challenges in accurately detecting AI-generated text as potentially plagiarized text. As these tools primarily rely on identifying direct matches and rephrased content sources, their efficacy diminishes against AI-written material that often produces unique phrasing. Many of these promising to show you an accurate AI score for a given assignment or piece of source material, will flag as copyrighted or protected work, something that was entirely original.

While these tools continue to be effective in flagging verbatim plagiarism, where text is copied word-for-word, their ability to detect nuanced differences between human and AI-generated content is limited. This gap underscores the need for reliance on ethical practices and transparency in writing, combining technology with integrity to ensure trust and originality in the content creation process.

To navigate this evolving landscape, it's essential for writers to emphasize attribution, maintain openness about AI use as a ghost writing assistant, and leverage AI as a collaborative partner rather than a substitution.

Conclusion

Using AI in all kinds of writing is not inherently plagiarism but requires a comprehensive understanding of AI-generated content. By ensuring proper credit and preserving the originality of content, writers can leverage AI tools ethically to enhance their written work. The key is to see AI as a useful and fallible assistant rather than a replacement, ensuring that human input starts and finishes the process to uphold authenticity and accountability.

As generative AI evolves, it is crucial for writers to adhere to ethical guidelines and best practices to avoid pitfalls such as plagiarism and copyright infringement. This includes transparency about AI usage and actively checking for inadvertent similarities. By doing so, writers can utilize AI to improve their writing process while upholding the principles of originality and proper attribution.