Japan University Restricts Students’ Use of ChatGPT

ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that delivers essays and computer codes in seconds, has caused concern at universities and schools around the globe. Experts have expressed concern over the chatbot after several stories about people who passed difficult exams using it. Many universities and education authorities have banned the chatbot because it could be used to cheat on exams or write essays.

Universities in Japan have taken steps to stop students from using ChatGPT. According to the IndependentTokyo’s Sophia University has banned students from using ChatGPT to write essays, reports and theses.

“The use of text, program source code, calculation results, and calculations generated by ChatGPT or other AI chatbots are not allowed on any assignments such as reaction papers, essays, and reports as the student does not create them,” said the university in its new guidelines, which were published on the university’s official website on March 27.

It added that “if detection tools, etc., is confirmed, strict measures will be taken by the University’s Discipline Rules on Misconduct.”

The University of Tokyo published an updated document on April 3 with updated guidelines for using AI chatbots. It noted that students must write reports and cannot be created with AI alone.

Tohoku University warned that students could have significant learning problems using generative AI to compile reports that could lead to strict grade evaluations. Teachers were also cautioned by Tohoku University that generation AI tools could accidentally leak data to service providers, even if they are used for translating unpublished research results.

It stated that there was a possibility that “information that should not have been leaked to the exterior, such as information regarding the entrance exam and personal information of students or faculty members, will get transmitted to service providers via generation AI, and there is a chance that it will be presented to other users.”

Nagahiro Minato, President of Kyoto University, stated that artificial intelligence has many flaws and problems in creating documents.

Last week, Italy blocked ChatGPT due to data privacy concerns. It was the first Western country to act against the popular chatbot using artificial intelligence (AI). The Data Protection Authority of Italy stated that OpenAI, the US company behind ChatGPT, did not have the legal basis for collecting and storing personal data in mass quantities for “training” the algorithms.