Outrage over use of AI: German university rejects students because their essay is too good

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

It is an unusual case that the Munich Administrative Court dealt with: a student had written an essay and used it to apply for a place in the master’s program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) for the winter semester 2023/2024.

But the man was not accepted with a kiss on the hand. The university rejected the application. Reason: The essay was too good. He had ‘excellent linguistic quality’, as a university spokesperson explained according to the ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’. Actually no problem, but the man would not have written the text alone, but with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

The judge should have an expert opinion drawn up

An exam software discovered the secret help. The result: the AI ​​would have written 45 percent of the text, or almost half. The student went to court against the university’s decision. However, his lawsuit was dismissed.

The man had already registered for a master’s degree at TUM and had already written an essay. He had not yet written a good text and was rejected. The student could not explain how the dramatic quality improvement came about.

The case is causing a stir among lawyers. In particular the use of the exam software. Because it is not entirely clear how this works. “In a good procedure, the judge should actually have reports drawn up on the software. “A software that is not even clear how it works would no longer be sufficient,” says Arne-Patrik Heinze, a lawyer specialized in administrative law and an expert in lawsuits related to university internships. Moreover, there are no uniform regulations on how and when AI can and when not be used.

ETH encourages students to use AI

At the Economic University in Prague, the use of AI has already taken a major step: written bachelor theses have been abolished and replaced by a so-called bachelor project.

The reason: the enormous increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) among students. AI would almost always do the work and not the student. And the problem: AI work is difficult or impossible to recognize.

Artificial intelligence and ghostwriting are also a problem at Swiss universities. However, bachelor’s theses are not being abolished in this country. When asked, ETH Zurich explained that they do not see AI as a danger or a means of deception, but rather encourage students to open themselves up to technological changes. The majority of college students are already using AI. (ymh)

Source: Blick