Can AI Infiltrate University Exams Systems?

The King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence brings together the diverse and growing community in artificial intelligence (AI) at King's College London.

King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence

A real-world test of AI infiltration of a university examinations system. This talk is a 'Turing Test' case study.

King's College London

King’s Festival of Artificial Intelligence

The King's Festival of Artificial Intelligence is returning between Tuesday 21 & Saturday 25 May 2024, with a series of public events, including lectures, workshops and demonstrations, exploring artificial intelligence with researchers from across King's.

<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT pose a fundamental problem for the educational sector. Ponder what would happen if students could upload their assessment questions to an AI such as ChatGPT, ask it to answer them, submit the unedited answers, and gain better grades then if they did the work themselves. This talk presents the results of a real-world test of artificial intelligence infiltration of a university examinations system, which showed this very thing can happen. AI submissions were virtually undetectable and robustly outperformed real students.</p><p>Dr Peter Scarfe discusses how this work has shaped educational policy and reflects upon broader implications for ascertaining 'trust' and 'truth' in a world with AI.</p><p>Collaborators: Professor Etienne Roesch (University of Reading), Kelly Watcham (University of Reading), and Dr Alasdair Clarke (University of Essex).</p><p>You do not need any prior knowledge of AI to enjoy this event.</p>

<h3>Speaker</h3><p><a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk/pcls/staff/peter-scarfe" title="https://www.reading.ac.uk/pcls/staff/peter-scarfe" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Peter Scarfe</a> is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Reading, where he heads a virtual reality and robotics lab. In 2023, together with colleagues, he conducted the first real-world "Turing Test" for the detectability of AI generated submissions in a real-world university examinations system. The results showed that 100% AI generated exam submissions were virtually undetectable and robustly outperformed real student submissions. In-between teaching and running a research lab, he is actively involved in training and policy regarding AI and education at Reading. Visit the<a href="https://www.peterscarfe.com/" title="https://www.peterscarfe.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> Vision and Haptics Laboratory website</a> or <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0305354" title="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0305354" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">read the full paper</a>.</p>

<h3>King's Festival of Artificial Intelligence</h3><p>This event is part of the <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/series/the-kings-festival-of-artificial-intelligence-20-24-may-2025" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/series/the-kings-festival-of-artificial-intelligence-20-24-may-2025" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">King’s Festival of Artificial Intelligence</a>. Running from Tuesday 20 May to Saturday 24 May, the free, five-day festival brings together a diverse line-up of experts to consider critical questions about artificial intelligence in the context of healthcare, education, sustainability, policy, and creativity.</p><p>If you are interested in this event, you may also want to join us for:</p><ul><li>A day of events looking at AI in education, including: <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/beyond-the-hype-ai-and-education" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/beyond-the-hype-ai-and-education" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Beyond the Hype: AI and Education</a> panel and <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/ai-in-education-showcase-lightning-presentations" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/ai-in-education-showcase-lightning-presentations" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">AI in Education Showcase: Lightning Presentations</a>.</li><li>One or more of a range of workshops considering use cases of AI in education: <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/navigating-the-grey-area-developing-critical-ai-literacy-in-student-assessments" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/navigating-the-grey-area-developing-critical-ai-literacy-in-student-assessments" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Navigating the ‘Grey Area’: Developing Critical AI Literacy in Student Assessments</a>, <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/lets-ai-prep-together-a-student-and-teacher-dialogue" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/lets-ai-prep-together-a-student-and-teacher-dialogue" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Let’s AI-Prep Together: A Student and Teacher Dialogue</a>, <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/using-genai-to-enhance-understanding-in-dissertation-projects" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/using-genai-to-enhance-understanding-in-dissertation-projects" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Using GenAI to Enhance Understanding in Dissertation Projects</a>, <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/reimagining-placements-a-hypothetical-gp-surgery-using-ai-interaction" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/reimagining-placements-a-hypothetical-gp-surgery-using-ai-interaction" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Reimagining Placements: A Hypothetical GP Surgery Using AI Interaction,</a> <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/revising-with-robots-ai-hacks-for-uni-success" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/revising-with-robots-ai-hacks-for-uni-success" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Revising with Robots: AI Hacks for Uni Success</a>.</li></ul><p>Festival events will take place across several King’s venues, so please check carefully where the event is taking place. Festival event times may be subject to change. Any changes will be communicated to attendees via Eventbrite emails.</p><p>Please note, King's events are free, which means we routinely overbook to allow for no-shows and avoid empty seats. Admission is on a first come, first served basis, so please arrive in good time to avoid disappointment. We will not be able to admit those without tickets or latecomers.</p>

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