Japan Universities Implement Restrictions On Students' Use Of ChatGPT

ChatGPT--an easy-to-use AI chatbot that can deliver an essay or computer code within seconds has left schools and universities around the world worried. Several stories of people passing difficult exams by employing the chatbot have recently made headlines, which is why experts have expressed their concern about the tool. Many universities and some education authorities have banned the chatbot over fears that students could use it to write essays or cheat in exams.

Now, universities in Japan are also taking action against student use of ChatGPT. According to the Independent, Tokyo's Sophia University has banned the use of the chatbot by students to write assignments such as essays, reports, and theses.

''The use of text, programme source code, calculation results generated by ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are not permitted on any assignments such as reaction papers, reports, essays and thesis, as the student themselves does not create them,” the university noted in new guidelines published on its official website on March 27.

“If the use is confirmed by detection tools, etc, strict measures will be taken in accordance with the University's Disciplinary Rules on Misconduct,” it added.

On April 3, The University of Tokyo also published a new document on its internal website with updated guidelines on the use of AI chatbots which noted that ''reports must be created by students themselves and cannot be created solely with the help of AI.''

Tohoku University noted that there can be major problems for students' own learning if they use generative AI for compiling reports that may lead to ''strict grade evaluation.'' The university also warned its teachers that while using generation AI tools for assessing and translating unpublished research results, the data can be unintentionally leaked to the service provider, “partially or completely”.

“There is a risk that information that should not be leaked to the outside, such as information about the entrance examination and personal information of students and faculty members, will be transmitted to service providers through generation AI, etc, and there is a risk that it will be presented as an answer to other users,” it said.

Meanwhile, Kyoto University President Nagahiro Minato said that documents created by artificial intelligence have many problems and shortcomings.

Last week,  Italy temporarily blocked ChatGPT over data privacy concerns, becoming the first Western country to take such action against the popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. The country's Data Protection Authority said US firm OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, had no legal basis to justify "the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of 'training' the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform".