Education

James McDermott: In the era of ChatGPT, pen and paper exams may be the only way to prevent cheating

The escalating arms race between sophisticated cheating services on the one hand, and enhanced detection services on the other, could mean going back basics

Artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT can produce written work on virtually any topic very quickly. Picture: Bloomberg

Perhaps the least-lamented victims of Covid-19 were our nation’s exam halls. They closed virtually overnight during the pandemic, despite the fact that to avoid cheating, the desks in them had been strictly socially distanced for decades before the concept became fashionable.

Their closure forced an immediate abandonment of traditional exams in favour of take home assignments which students usually had days or even weeks to prepare, a change which was welcomed by many.

But doing ...