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- A college student said he was given the highest grade on an essay written with the help of ChatGPT.
- The student told BBC News he adapted and tweaked the content generated by the chatbot.
- He said the first-class mark was the highest grade he'd received at Cardiff University in Wales.
A student at Cardiff University in Wales said he received a top grade on an essay written with the help of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
The student, who was called the pseudonym "Tom" to protect his identity, told BBC News he conducted an experiment with the AI chatbot during January's assessment period.
The student, who averages a 2.1 grade, said he submitted one 2,500-word essay written with the help of ChatGPT, and another without any help from the bot.
For the essay he wrote himself, "Tom" said received a low 2.1 grade. However, for the AI-assisted essay he was given a first – the highest grade he'd been ever awarded, per the report.
He told BBC News he did not use the chatbot to write his essay in its entirety, but adapted and tweaked the content the chatbot generated.
"I didn't copy everything word for word, but I would prompt it with questions that gave me access to information much quicker than usual," the student said.
"Tom" added he was likely to use the bot to plan future essays.
Schools and colleges have been scrambling to deal with the fallout from the viral AI chatbot since it launched in late November. Students quickly seized on the bot's ability to generate well-structured essays and several were caught trying to pass the bot's content off as their own just months after it was released.
Professors previously told Insider that although they considered using AI to write essays to be a form of plagiarism, it can be hard to prove unless a student admits doing so.
A representative for Cardiff University told Insider: "Although not specifically referenced, the improper use of AI would be covered by our existing academic integrity policy.
"We are aware of the potential impact of AI programmes, like ChatGPT, on our assessments and coursework. Maintaining academic integrity is our main priority and we actively discourage any student from academic misconduct in its many forms. Our aim is also to educate our students about the proper use of AI and its many benefits.
"As a result, we are currently reviewing our existing policies and will be issuing new University-wide guidance shortly."