The use of AI at German universities is increasing. How are universities reacting to this change – and what impact does this have on academic work?
Frankfurt – The University of Hamburg, LMU in Munich, Goethe University in Frankfurt and the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin have something in common: They all offer recommendations for action or tips on how to deal with artificial intelligence on their websites. And these are just a few examples. AI has undoubtedly found its way into scientific teaching at colleges and universities. Some institutions even offer their own access to ChatGPT for teachers and students. How does this affect your studies?
AI in studies: Lecturers and students regularly use it for various tasks
According to a survey by the consulting firm “Ernst & Young” (EY), almost nine out of ten respondents used AI applications more or less frequently in their studies. For the representative study, over 2,000 students in Germany were surveyed in February. 13 percent of those surveyed used tools such as chatbots frequently, 41 percent occasionally and 32 percent very rarely. The AI tools were primarily used for research, to clarify comprehension questions or to create texts.
But it's not just students who like to be helped by artificial intelligence. Supportive AI tools such as ChatGPT are also regularly used among teachers. As a quick survey by the “University Forum for Digitalization” showed in July 2023, over 80 percent of employees at almost 100 universities used ChatGPT for their work. OpenAI's chatbot is used, among other things, in administration, for scientific texts, testing purposes and the development of teaching concepts.
ChatGPT at the university: More and more universities are offering access to the chatbot free of charge
Universities and colleges are now going one step further: Instead of “just” using artificial intelligence in everyday student life, access to tools such as ChatGPT are now offered by the teaching institutions themselves. For example, since April 9, 2024, all members of the University of Hamburg (UHH) - students and employees - have had access to ChatGPT via the university.
Artificial intelligence (AI) holds enormous potential for science and society, which we at the University of Hamburg want to resolutely exploit.
University President Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
When asked by
IPPEN.MEDIA,
the University of Hamburg commented on the innovation as follows: “From the UHH’s perspective, it is important to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks of AI in exchange with students and to use it with the aim of increasing digital, data and “To critically reflect on AI literacy and academic integrity.”
The Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK) and the Munich University of Applied Sciences also offer all members free access to ChatGPT.
University of Prague presents: Will there soon be no more theses because of AI?
The AI hype is also reflected in works submitted by students. Turnitin, an Internet-based plagiarism detection service, released new data on this in early April. According to this, over 10 percent of 200 million student papers examined worldwide contained at least 20 percent AI-generated content. That's over 22 million taxes. Around six million works contained at least 80 percent AI-generated content.
The Prague University of Economics has already drawn conclusions from these findings: students at the Faculty of Business Administration no longer have to write a bachelor's thesis. “The emergence of AI was another impetus for us to change the system. We will design the bachelor's degree in a practical way that leaves much less room for plagiarism and from which students will take much more useful experience with them into their lives," explained the dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, Jiří Hnilica, of the Czech Republic Issue of
Forbes
magazine
.
Applicants at the Technical University of Munich rejected because of AI – where is the limit?
Could term papers, bachelor's and master's theses as a tried and tested means of examination at universities soon also come to an end in Germany? Beatrix Busse, Vice Rector for Studies and Teaching at the University of Cologne and Professor of English Linguistics, said this in an interview with the
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
: “AI tools are outstanding aids, but I think they are important, at least In our subjects, you can also think through and design a longer text. We are thinking about whether classic housework is now obsolete. I wouldn’t make a final judgment yet.”
What is certain is that work with artificial intelligence must remain transparent. This is also shown by the case of a rejected application for a place at the Technical University of Munich. Since an applicant was accused of using AI in his application essay and could very likely be blamed, he was excluded from the further application process. Shortly after him, this happened to two other applicants from the Technical University of Munich.
Universities must therefore set rules to what extent the use of artificial intelligence is permitted - even desirable - and at what point it is considered an attempt to deceive. The University of Hamburg also sees it this way: “So far there are no university-wide binding regulations for the handling of AI systems when creating seminar and theses,” explains the press spokesman for the UHH President to
IPPEN.MEDIA
and continues: “Whether and how ChatGPT and other AI systems can or should be integrated into academic work are questions that must be negotiated as a joint task of the scientific communities as well as the community of teachers and students.”