Australian professor uses AI to write article decrying tech reliance
What's the story
Professor Cath Ellis, a prominent academic from Western Sydney University, has come under fire for using artificial intelligence (AI) to write an opinion piece. The article, published in the Sydney Morning Herald last month, urged students to "do the work" and not cut corners by using technology. However, it was later revealed that Ellis had employed AI in writing the column.
AI debate
'AI problem is real'
Responding to an earlier article by academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who warned her stepdaughter against university due to the risk of students outsourcing their learning to AI, Ellis acknowledged that "AI problem is real." However, she argued that students should still attend university and study properly. "Don't cut corners. Don't outsource your thinking, however tempting that may be," she wrote in her piece.
AI revelation
University confirms use of AI in article
Despite Ellis's stance against outsourcing thinking to technology, an AI detector service, Pangram, flagged the column as AI-generated. In response to queries from Guardian Australia, the university confirmed that Ellis had indeed used AI in writing her opinion piece. "To write her opinion article, Prof. Ellis uploaded 40,000 words of her own original materials into a Copilot Large Language Model (LLM). The model summarized her extensive base of knowledge, providing prompts," a spokesperson for the university said.
Defense strategy
Editorial policy states AI won't be used for writing articles
The university defended Ellis's use of an LLM to draw on her own expertise and experience, calling it a "demonstrates a sophisticated and appropriate use" of generative AI. However, the editorial policy for Nine, the parent company of the Sydney Morning Herald, clearly states that "AI will not be used to write stories for publication." The policy also says where AI-generated material is published, it will be clearly labeled.
Editorial response
Article didn't meet editorial guidelines, says Sydney Morning Herald editor
After the revelation of Ellis's AI use, Sydney Morning Herald's Editor Jordan Baker said the article didn't meet its editorial guidelines and had been removed. "The Herald was not informed of the use of AI in the compilation of the article by either the author or Western Sydney University," Baker said. "Clearly this is unacceptable and we are investigating further."