Should I Use ChatGPT for Essays? -

You have an essay to write, you don’t or can’t write it yourself and so you are wondering, if you should use ChatGpt for essays? Yes, you can use but you shouldn’t just take blindly what it comes up with. You have to check if it has come up with the right facts, if needed edit it, and give it a human touch. Never copy-paste everything ChatGPT provides.

But why?

Because it has a limitation. Inspite of its extraordinary intelligence, it can still produce something that appears to be correct but is actually nonsense. A lot of the result depends on the ‘prompt’ you put. Don’t fret if you feel that the result is biased, it sometimes doesn’t understand the prompt and can come up with a result that is not what you are looking for.

Now, what is ‘prompt’ you might ask. Let’s understand it first.

Suppose your essay topic is ‘The future of Artificial Intelligence’. How do you ask ChatGpt? You write a phrase – ‘write about the future of artificial intelligence’ – This is ‘prompt’ or the query you put in.

ChatGPT will come up with a generic response to this. If someone else from your class puts this query (which will happen, since the topic is same), it will come up with somewhat similar results, rephrased. Check it and see yourself.

How do you get a different result and more useful content? You have to change the prompt – ask ChatGpt for different things – like

(Image credit: Getty Images – Leon Neal)

1) How will AI influence the world

2) Will there be job loss due to AI

So, if you ask Should I Use ChatGPT for Essays, remember you have to work on a few things. The quality of output depends totally on the prompt that is given. You cannot simply just use whatever comes up.

Table of Contents

How Do I use ChatGPT to write an Essay?

Sign in to ChaptGpt
Give your prompt ( eg. write an essay on ‘excessive mobile usage amongst teens’)
Once you check the results, you need to give it further prompts to make it unique and information rich.
Ask for ‘write something more’ ‘write about ‘specific idea’ more elaborately.
Change the prompt completely if you have any subheading in mind.
Ask to rewrite a portion.
Ask it to ‘generate more responses’!
Ask it to write a good conclusion.
Once you are happy with the result, you can copy this text into a document. This will be your essay.

It is as simple, easy, and quick as that.

Just a few minutes and you are done.

But here comes the main question – will you be happy?

Isn’t it your responsibility to write it on your own. You are cheating – sounds harsh, but it’s the reality.

So, think about it when you have this question ‘Should I Use ChatGPT for Essays’ in mind.

ChatGPT can write an essay for you, but remember it is never recommended. It is kind of cheating because writing is something you should do. You won’t be writing it yourself and taking credit for something you have not done. Is that going to make you happy?

Using ChatGPT to Write Essays Ethically and Without Guilt

It’s a fact that no matter how much we talk about it being unethical for students and why it’s not right to use it for homework, there will always be a section of students, who will happily use it with a sense of pride.

For those who are a bit shy to simply ‘copy-paste’ need to know a few tricks of using the chat bot. In fact, this is what the AI is all about – it is designed to assist humans in their work. It is there to work as an assistant, streamlining the search process. It is not meant to replace humans.

First let us understand why ChatGPT is so popular and why are students rushing for it.

Pros:

The results are available in seconds. It’s fast.
New versions of results can be created in case you are not happy with its recommendations.
Makes search a bit simpler.
Provides ideas and inspiration to write.
Reduces writer’s block.

Cons:

Its knowledge is limited.
It tends to get biased.
For students, its not ethical. Passing on the work of a bot as one’s one is cheating if you are in school or college.
The results are at times wrong.
It is being considered as a substitute of hard work, whereas it isn’t. Its sole purpose is to help students.

So, the solution is use it as your assistant. It shouldn’t be used as your replacement. It is meant to assist you in your studies and not to replace your hardwork.

Giving it a Human Touch – Should You Use ChatGPT for writing essays?

The basic rule is that whenever any content is written, it should sound like it is human-written. Machine-written content doesn’t have the same appeal and reads quite generic. So, how do deal with it when taking help of ChatGPT for writing essays.

Prepare an Outline:

ChatGPT needs several prompts to come up with a good long essay. A single prompt will never give you a desired result. So, you can prepare the essay structure on your own. Think about the different headings and subheadings that you would like to include.

Once you have the structure and headings ready you can begin your search. Copy and paste the information, it suggests for you for the next step.

Edit it:

It’s the first rule if you are using ChatGPT for your essays. Write the introduction on your own because you know the subject well.

Introduce the subject on your own and it will be great. Put in your inputs or thoughts if there is a scope.

Add points, facts, views and even thoughts if you can. The essay you get from ChatGPT needs to be edited well so that it becomes an excellent essay that provides value.

Fact Check it:

Remember ChatGPT is at times biased, and all its results are not useful. You can check facts, update details, make edits as and when needed.

Make changes wherever you feel because this is all about giving it a human touch.

Frequently Asked Questions on Should I use ChatGPT to write essays:

Those who wish to use ChatGPT for writing essays often have some questions in mind. Here I hope to cover many such questions.

Does ChatGPT give the same answer to everyone?

Yes, it will. Most of the time if the prompt is same, it will come up with the same type of answers. There will be a bit of variation, but the pattern, writing style, format and arrangement of text always remains the same.

How many students use ChatGPT?

The numbers are large and increasing with the spreading popularity of ChatGPT. As per the latest survey, more than 50% students have revealed that they use AI tools to complete their assignments.

Is using AI to write essays bad?

It is definitely unethical.

A lot depends on how you feel. If you are happy with cheating and you have no guilt pangs, it’s not bad for you. But remember you are cheating yourself. You are not learning. There are many educational institutions who are thinking about penalizing students using AI. Besides, your professor will know.

Are AI essays plagiarized?

No, technically they are not. To avoid detection, it spins the content. The subject or information remains the same and the content gets changed. There are several AI detectors available that can easily detect AI essays.

Can you get caught by ChatGPT?

Yes, there are several AI detector tools that can detect essays or articles that are created by ChatGPT.

Can Professors see if you use ChatGPT?

Yes, they can understand. Most AI generated essays and articles have a tone or language style which can be understood. They lack human touch. Besides there are many tools available.

Can you use ChatGPT for college?

You can use, but you will be get caught also. It is now very easy to detect AI generated essays or articles.

Can Turnitin Detect ChatGPT?

Yes, it can. Its technology is developed to stay abreast with the latest in AI technology.

Teachers, colleges, universities are not at all happy with students usage of AI tools like ChatGPT. They are taking steps to penalize students so that they refrain from using these tools.