Newsletter 205: AI Cheating Debate: A Neurodivergent Perspective

It's another rainy morning here in Northern California. Happy Friday to all my fellow dyslexic readers!

As a dyslexic thinker, I can reflect on my school days and realize there were many ways I had to find creative accommodations and "hack" my education experience.

While I don't necessarily consider what I did as outright cheating, I had to find alternative methods to demonstrate my knowledge and get assignments done in a way that worked for how my brain processes information.

One primary accommodation for me was having my mom or sister type up papers and essays based on my verbal outlining and dictation since the physical act of writing was an arduous barrier.

The Rise of AI Writing Models

The advent of advanced AI language models like ChatGPT has ignited intense debate and concern in education over the potential for enabling widespread cheating.

As someone with dyslexia, I approach this contentious discourse through the empathetic lens of neurodivergence.

No Significant Cheating Increase...Yet

In a potentially surprising finding, researchers at Stanford found that overall cheating rates among students have NOT increased significantly since the public launch of ChatGPT.

Their surveys revealed that around 60-70% of students admitted to at least one "cheating" behavior per month even pre-dating AI writing tools, suggesting cheating is a persistent, long-standing issue in academia.

Digging Deeper: Underlying Reasons

However, for many neurodivergent learners, cheating often arises from deeper underlying reasons that go beyond simply wanting to be dishonest or lazy.

It can stem from feeling completely overwhelmed by an excessive coursework load, struggling to understand and process material due to different cognitive needs, or a perceived lack of adequate support systems and accommodations.

Intense Achievement Pressure

The intense societal and familial pressure to achieve academic and extracurricular success can further rationalize and enable some students to make poor ethical choices like cheating - even when they inherently know it violates moral principles.

The fear of disappointing lofty expectations through low grades often outweighs ethical concerns.

A Call for Empathy over Impulsive Crackdowns

Rather than escalating to knee-jerk harsh crackdowns and DRACONIAN bans on AI technology in education, what's truly needed is a more empathetic and inclusive approach centered on constructive solutions.

Forward-thinking initiatives focused on comprehensively teaching AI LITERACY—fostering understanding of the technology's capabilities, limitations, and best ethical practices—could be vital to guiding students toward more responsible AI usage, similar to driver's education for modern "vehicle" operation.

Addressing Root Causes

But more critically, educational institutions must strive to address the root systemic drivers that subconsciously push some students toward academic dishonesty in the first place. This includes:

- Providing robust accommodations for diverse learning needs

- Fostering an authentic sense of belonging in the community

- Designing meaningful, engaging, and personalized curricula that intrinsically motivate self-driven learning

Assistive Technology Potential

Interestingly, some experts suggest that for neurodivergent students, AI-powered writing aids like ChatGPT could potentially serve as assistive technology tools to support their learning process—if used transparently within clearly defined guidelines as supportive aides rather than to fully automate entire assignments.

Open Discussion > Shortsighted Prohibitions

The path forward lies in engaging in open, multi-stakeholder discussion about AI's legitimate strengths and limitations and how it can be appropriately integrated in responsible, ethical ways that empower all students. Shortsighted, misguided efforts toward outright prohibition of AI could further disadvantage those already facing barriers.

"We need to meet students where they are, not where we want them to be. BANNING AI writing tools would give neurodivergent students access to a technology that could HELP them overcome discriminatory obstacles in their education."

- Dr. Amanda Firestone, Neurodiversity Education Advocate

Neurodivergent Voices Vital for Equity

This multi-faceted debate exemplifies why neurodivergent voices and first-hand perspectives must be centered and represented when shaping policy and best practices around emerging educational technology.

Our unique insights are crucial to ensuring AI integration unfolds in a truly equitable, ethical, and empowering way that benefits ALL learners.

Think Outside the Box!

Matt Ivey

Founder, Dyslexic.AI

What did we learn?

- No evidence of dramatic cheating spikes from AI so far, despite panic

- 60-70% of students admitted frequent cheating pre-dating AI tools

- Cheating drivers: Overwhelm, lack of support/inclusion, achievement pressures

- Need empathy over harsh bans; Teach AI literacy like driver's ed

- Address root causes: Accommodations, belonging, meaningful curricula

- AI writing aids: Potential as a neurodivergent assistive tech with guidelines

- Open discussion > Blanket prohibitions promoting ethical, equitable AI use

- Centering neurodivergent voices in EdTech policy = Key to accurate equity

Source Highlight: https://ed.stanford.edu/news/what-do-ai-chatbots-really-mean-students-and-cheatingC