"Writing Essays with ChatGPT Now OK" International Baccalaureate Fully Permits

Allowed for ethical use without prohibition... Source must be cited
Contrasted with overseas universities' cases of 'complete chatbot ban'
"Other skills more important than writing... Essay reduced"

The internationally certified education program 'International Baccalaureate' (IB) is gaining attention for allowing students to use the AI chatbot 'ChatGPT' in their submitted writings.

On the 26th (local time), according to the British daily The Times, Matt Glenville, the Chief Assessment Officer of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), stated, “Instead of completely banning ChatGPT, we will work with individual schools to help students use AI ethically.”

IB is an educational curriculum and internationally accredited program characterized by discussion-based and project classes, as well as absolute evaluation through essays and written responses. As of last year, IB has been introduced in 5,725 schools across 159 countries worldwide, including Europe, the United States, and China.

The appearance of the ChatGPT logo.
Photo by Yonhap News

Glenville said the condition for allowing ChatGPT is that “students must clearly indicate when they have used ChatGPT in their writing.” He added, “There is a clear line between using ChatGPT and producing original work without its help,” and explained, “Students must thoroughly cite their use of ChatGPT.”

This contrasts with recent moves by overseas schools to completely ban chatbot use. Last month, New York City public schools banned chatbot use on their own internet networks and school computers, and some public high schools in Seattle also restricted ChatGPT usage. At universities, as students began using ChatGPT for assignments, handwritten essays and oral exams have been expanded.

Additionally, the prestigious French university Sciences Po Paris has also completely banned the use of ChatGPT or similar AI tools. RV University in Bengaluru, India, has blocked students from using ChatGPT, and universities in Australia are reportedly planning to change exam formats to eradicate AI tool usage.

Following this policy, IB plans to significantly reduce the proportion of essays in student exams over the long term. Glenville forecasted, “Other skills have become more important than writing. Writing’s position is seriously threatened by the emergence of new technologies, and in the future, its importance will be much less compared to now.”

He also added, “In an era where AI can write at the push of a button, we need to ensure students learn other skills,” and “The ability to understand whether writing is done properly, whether context is missed, whether biased data was used, or whether creativity is lacking will become much more important than the writing itself.”