How does Noam Chomsky see ChatGPT? ‘High-tech plagiarism’ and 'way to avoid learning', says US thinker

Chomsky also said the use by college students of high-end technology is a sign 'the educational system is failing.'

ChatGPT is ‘basically a high-tech plagiarism’ and a ‘way to avoid learning,’ according to renowned US thinker and intellectual researcher Noam Chomsky, who also said the use by college students of high-end technology is a sign 'the educational system is failing.'

Renowned thinker and academician Noam Chomsky File Photo)

Chomsky made the remarks on YouTube channel EduKitchen, where he was asked to share his thoughts on OpenAI's ChatGPT, a chatbot that has taken the internet by storm since being introduced in November last year.

“The college essay died years ago. It's a mug game in which a college students send me an electronic file that, when open, spills out a jumble of words that the sender propounds to be a finished paper — to which, presumably, the output of a machine-learning system would actually be far preferable. Most technological disruptions leave both positive and negative effects in their wake,” said Chomsky, according to HT's sister publication Mint.

If the college essay is indeed ‘unsalvageable,’ he added, then ChatGPT should perhaps replace the essay with something ‘more interesting.’

The 94-year-old further remarked students will ‘find a way out’ if the education system does not appeal to them, does not challenge them, and does not make them want to learn.

Since its launch, the OpenAI-developed chatbot has, among other things, helped a student pass his university exam in just 20 minutes, and the bot itself passed an exam at a US law school. In India, a Bengaluru-based university banned students from using the artificial intelligence (AI) tool on the campus, with the objective being to prevent them from using it in academic activities such as exams, lab tests and assignments.

As per reports in the US media, some public schools in New York City and Seattle have banned ChatGPT. French university Sciences Po, on the other hand, warned students they will be expelled from the institute, or the education system as a whole, if found using the software.