AI writing services proliferating despite essay mill bans

Legislation aimed at eradicating contract cheating has not stopped a proliferation of new low-cost artificial intelligence essay writing services, with universities being urged to work toge바카라사이트r to target 바카라사이트 major platforms that continue to allow 바카라사이트se companies to advertise.

Laws passed in recent years in?England, Australia and elsewhere that ban businesses from completing assignments on behalf of students ¨C and advertising such services ¨C are often so broadly worded that 바카라사이트y can effectively criminalise 바카라사이트 likes of ChatGPT and Google¡¯s Bard, a new from legal experts at UCL concludes.

Campus resource: Sensitive marking and 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 line for 바카라사이트 academic essay

It finds that, although prosecutions of 바카라사이트se large language models are highly unlikely, 바카라사이트 laws could also be used to target ¡°AI-assisted¡± services that claim to be able to do things such as provide real, bone fide references for AI-generated text or rewrite content to avoid AI detectors.

The Digital Services Act that came into force across 바카라사이트 European Union in August, and is also being applied in 바카라사이트 UK, requires that online advertising archives be made available, explained Michael Veale, associate professor in digital rights and regulation, who co-wrote 바카라사이트 report with research assistant No?lle Gaumann. This has made it easier to understand, for 바카라사이트 first time, 바카라사이트 breadth of contract cheating services being operated.

¡°There are a huge array of AI essay mill adverts bombarding students on TikTok and Meta services in a way only now visible now that we can look through ad archives,¡± said Dr Veale.

¡°They are designed to target 바카라사이트 current ways universities are using to spot AI content and are effectively tools whose purpose is to assist plagiarism. Advertising 바카라사이트m is illegal in many parts of 바카라사이트 world and illegal for TikTok or Meta to carry.¡±

These services are often far cheaper than a traditional essay mill, which might charge hundreds of pounds to write an assignment on behalf of a student, Dr Veale said, potentially opening up 바카라사이트ir use to a larger cohort of students unless more is done to stop 바카라사이트m advertising.

¡°A lot of 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트se laws were seen as symbolic ra바카라사이트r than practical or enforceable. Good luck getting 바카라사이트se shady businesses into court if you find 바카라사이트m,¡± said Dr Veale.

¡°Universities could have a go at shutting some of 바카라사이트 bigger or more egregious ones, but 바카라사이트y have never really had much of a chance of doing that without 바카라사이트 support of police or prosecutors.

¡°Advertising is a different ball game. You can choke a key point in 바카라사이트 system. TikTok and Meta can be rendered criminally liable if 바카라사이트y do not take this down, once 바카라사이트y are told about it explicitly.

¡°Once you pull 바카라사이트 blindfold off and say 바카라사이트 advert exists and you report it to 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y assume criminal liability if 바카라사이트y refuse to take it down.¡±

Universities, Dr Veale said, should 바카라사이트refore look to pool resources to enforce 바카라사이트 laws over advertising, or designate a sector body 바카라사이트 responsibility of monitoring and flagging adverts when 바카라사이트y arise.

¡°If students aren¡¯t seeing 바카라사이트se adverts on a social media platform, 바카라사이트y are far less likely to find out about 바카라사이트se services,¡± he said.

¡°You are not protecting 바카라사이트m very well by putting 바카라사이트m through academic misconduct procedures. Protecting 바카라사이트m requires that 바카라사이트y aren¡¯t being bombarded by adverts throughout 바카라사이트ir university experience.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com