According to a recent experiment by The Washington Post, college admissions counselors are not easily fooled by chatbot-created college essays. The experiment involved presenting a prompt engineer’s chatbot-created essays to a former Ivy League college admissions counselor, who was tasked with identifying which essays were written by AI and which were written by a human.
The results of the experiment were “illuminating.” The admissions counselor was able to spot the AI-generated essays with relative ease. One major giveaway was the lack of specific details and supporting evidence in the AI essays. The writing was often trite and relied on platitudes, failing to delve into the emotional experiences of the author. Additionally, the essays were repetitive and predictable, lacking surprise or a sense of the writer’s personal journey. When it came to issues of race, sex, or socioeconomic status, the AI essays often fell back on stereotypes.
While the AI-created essays were readable and mostly free of grammatical errors, the admissions counselor concluded that they were “mediocre” and would not enhance an applicant’s chances of being accepted. Admissions essays require a unique type of writing that allows students to reflect on their lives and craft a compelling narrative that showcases their uniqueness. The AI chatbot simply fell short in this aspect.
The admissions counselor emphasized that using AI for everyday writing tasks may be sufficient, but it is particularly unhelpful when it comes to college admissions essays. Admissions offices are already utilizing AI screening tools to filter out computer-generated essays. Furthermore, the personal reflection and storytelling required in admissions essays cannot be replicated by AI.
Although AI chatbots may seem appealing to overwhelmed students during the hectic college application season, the counselor warned of the consequences of relying too heavily on AI for essay creation. Their essays may end up being “terrible” and fail to truly reflect who they are as individuals.
In conclusion, while AI technology continues to advance, it seems that chatbot-created college essays are still far from fooling experienced admissions counselors. The uniqueness and personal touch required in admissions essays cannot be replicated by AI, making them an ineffective tool for students seeking to gain an advantage in the college application process.
The source of the article is from the blog elblog.pl