Is AI cheating?

I was recently a Judge at a  ‘Dragons Den’ event at a local school. They had been split into teams and tasked with creating an innovative app idea and then asked to present back to us along with evidence of research into competitors and financials. There was a lot of ideas and we settled on a winning team who chose to utilise AI to create images (and unbeknownst to me at the time to create certain text passages). There was an assumption from the losing teams that the winners had cheated by using AI to create their PowerPoint slides giving them an unfair advantage. But did they cheat? I don’t think so, they were just innovative and showed a way of working which is becoming more common in many industries.

Current state of AI in business

AI is transforming various industries by automating processes, enhancing efficiency, and reducing costs. In marketing, sales, customer service, finance, and human resources, AI tools analyse data, optimise campaigns, manage risks, and streamline operations. Day-to-day tools like ChatGPT and Copilot help businesses generate ideas, draft documents, and create images, similar to how the students used AI in their project.

Being innovative isn’t cheating

The winning group didn’t cheat; they innovatively used AI, mirroring current business practices. They likely brainstormed ideas and drafted text using ChatGPT, then combined these resources into a polished presentation. AI didn’t assist with their teamwork, presentation skills, or ability to answer judges’ questions – all crucial elements that earned them the win.

What’s the bottom line

There’s two major points to make.

Firstly, schools should embrace AI as a learning tool rather than view it as cheating. The group we gave the prize to leveraged AI to make them the most efficient in their project and allowed them more time to work on the points that make the difference in the task; the pitch. This can translate to the classroom  to enhance learning, for example students can use AI to draft essays while being graded on their critical analysis and understanding of the topic by reviewing these essays themselves.

Secondly, I was really impressed to see the ingenuity of these children to leverage AI, the students showcased the power of AI to increase efficiency and quality in tasks. Most importantly they portrayed, in this competition, the difference maker that AI is.

If you want to know how your business can use AI to make them stand out and beat the competition like the students I’ve spoke about in this blog then contact us at Purple Frog!

Tags: AI, School