This is a post that I wish I didn’t have to write … but I do. The misuse and abuse of AI in academia is rampant. Students use it to write papers, cheat on tests and even write news articles, many full of errors.
So how can we fight back, both in academia and the news industry?
There are several free (and paid AI detection tools on the market that can come in handy when evaluating writing. I’ve listed them on the AI and plagiarism page on The Journalist’s Toolbox™ AI.
I put three of the free tools to the test:
GPTZero
Probably my favorite of the three, this tool will detect ChatGPT3, GPT4, Bard, and other AI models. It has various settings for AI and human + AI.Copyleaks
AI detection tool. Free with paid upgrades. Available as a Chrome extension as well.WinstonAI
Free AI detection tool with paid upgrades. Tracks several tools, including Claude. It also has a free Google Chrome plug-in that lets you detect AI written material on a web page.
But even with these detection tools, there are ways people have found to sneak AI stories through by using tools such as BypassGPT. Be careful!
Important: Don’t base your decision only on one tool’s interpretation of the copy. Try it on all three. Then sit down with the reporters/students and ask them, “Is there anything you want to tell me about this assignment?” They usually come clean. It’s important not to jump the gun and go straight to punishment. Hear them out, but have a plan to rectify the issue swiftly and harshly.
Sometimes, reporters may use an AI-driven paraphrasing tool to recast a paragraph or two of their writing. That’s fine, but they should disclose that use at the bottom of the story in an editor’s note. I’m fine with them using editing tools in their work because it’s working off their original piece. But a story solely written by AI is a no-no. Explain those guardrails upfront to your reporters, students, editors, etc.
Watch the video below to see how each tool fares in detecting an AI-produced news article recapping the events of 9/11.
Sponsor
Many exciting updates to Rolliapp 3.0! Limited number of complimentary memberships for Journalist’s Toolbox AI readers available with code: “JOURNOAI” at Rolli.ai Want Custom Training?
ONA/Microsoft AI in Journalism Initiative
There is still plenty of time to sign up for the Online News Association/Microsoft AI in Journalism Initiative training program. The trainings are free for ONA members and $25 for non-members. You can register for the training here.
The trainings, which last 60 to 90 minutes, will run each month with a few extra trainings and mini-labs sprinkled in. They will be recorded for those who miss the live Zoom trainings or want to replay them. I helped them design the trainings and will conduct several of them.
Want More Training?
Contact Mike Reilley at mikereilley1 (at) gmail (dot) com to schedule an AI tools training for your staff.
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New in AI and other tools:
Vento
Screencasting tool that lets you start, stop and tweak along the way.Photosonic
AI art generatorPDF AI
Chat with any documentAgenda Hero Magic
Creates AI-generated calendar events
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Textbooks
The Journalist’s Toolbox
My new book, “The Journalist’s Toolbox A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI” will be published by Routledge in December. You can order it here
The book features tips, tricks and training videos on how to use digital tools, AI, mobile apps and more in your reporting. It makes for a great newsroom guide or textbook for reporting and digital courses. It’s available in “E-book Plus”, which embeds training videos and pop-ups directly into the book’s interface. It’s also available in paperback, hard cover and regular e-book format.
Data + Journalism
Samantha Sunne and I co-authored a textbook, “Data + Journalism” that’s available now on Routledge. (Order here). It’s an introductory- to intermediate-level guide to learning data storytelling from A to Z.
It features examples, interviews, links to tools and dozens of practical exercises to learn how to find, scrape, clean, visualize and write with data. We also explore ethics, transparency and basic math skills. We even offer a bonus chapter — Chapter 13 — on diversity and inclusion for free on our blog.
In Quotes …
“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” —Eliezer Yudkowsky, computer scientist and researcher
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