Photo/Illutration ChatGPT is seen on the tablet screen (Masayuki Shiraishi)

ChatGPT and similar services should not be used in anything that would affect a student’s grades including tests, quizzes and contest entries, according to education ministry draft guidelines. 

The guidelines will soon be distributed to all public and private elementary, junior high and senior high schools.

Since chatbots provide answers to any question a user poses, concerns have arisen that students could unfairly use them.

About the only area in which use of such generative AI was deemed appropriate was during preparations for group debates. In such projects, students could use the service to determine arguments they may have overlooked when listing what points they wanted to make in the debate.

While the guidelines point out the need to foster the ability to effectively use generative AI, including to confirm the veracity of the information the technology produces, it also touched upon the risks, such as copyright infringement and effects on creativity and critical thinking.

But with the great possibility that students will use generative AI outside of school, the guidelines stressed that schools should place added emphasis on gaining the ability to effectively utilize the information.

The guidelines indicated that such technology should initially only be used in a limited capacity. The education ministry plans to start trial use of generative AI in select schools to assess the positive and negative effects.

The guidelines also clearly state that students should not use the technology for anything they submit as homework or for extracurricular writing and art contests.

As one way to check that the student actually did the work and understood it, the guidelines proposed that students give oral summaries after submission.

An education ministry official said the guidelines were not intended to be meant as unified rules on what is banned and what must be incorporated when using generative AI technology.

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