AI: A New Form of Plagiarism

By: Brian Chilton, Ph.D. | January 13, 2023

Recently, a friend of mine sent me a private message on Facebook asking me about my thoughts on AI writing apps. I must confess that I was not entirely sure what he was talking about. He later explained that certain apps offer the opportunity for artificial intelligence (i.e., AI) to write a paper or article with a few prompts given by a person. Afterward, the app would then write the article or paper according to the prompts given with no other input.

After giving it some thought, I concluded that AI apps such as these cause one to become guilty of a new form of plagiarism. How so? Because plagiarism is defined as “taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing it off as one’s own.”[1] Even though the writer adds some prompts, the AI app is the device that creates the work and ideas. Thus, the writer is not providing his or her voice to the article. Furthermore, the writer is not necessarily putting in the work. Rather, he or she allows a computing device to do the work. Multiple problems come to mind when it comes to using AI writing apps. Here, the term “plagiarism” is used to describe the falsehood that accompanies the cheap and lazy use of AI technology to write documents.

Plagiarism of Research

While one could say that one still adds the prompts to the automated document, it does not hold that the finished document is an original product of research. Good research is the collaboration of ideas and communicating the premises in the researcher’s own voice. It is one thing to read several books, but it is another to be able to communicate what was read in print or in person. Using this kind of technology robs an individual of the ability to do just that.

Plagiarism of Voice

When reading various authors, the reader begins to detect certain wording choices and stylistic preferences that define the writer’s voice. For instance, it does not take long to see how much different John’s voice is in his Gospel when compared to that of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They speak of the same Jesus and address similar topics, but their voices are unique. Original voice is completely lost when relying on artificial intelligence for written documents. The voice that is heard is that of the AI, not the one producing the piece.

Plagiarism of Integrity

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a person loses integrity when depending on automated technology when producing written documents. If you are writing a piece and have your name on it, then everyone will assume that you are the one who wrote the document and not an AI writer. If a person loses one’s integrity, then one has lost everything. Proverbs states that a “good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold. Rich and poor have this in common: the Lord makes them all” (Prov. 22:1–2, CSB). It is far better to take the time to produce good quality writing rather than to lose one’s integrity just to save a few minutes.

Conclusion

In addition to the problems mentioned above, I would like to mention one last issue that troubles me concerning our continued reliance on technology. We are blessed to have many conveniences with technology. Life has become much easier due to our electronic luxuries. While I am not a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prepper, I am nonetheless very concerned with our over-reliance on the internet and technology. Mainly for this reason—what happens if it fails? Would we know how to live without the luxuries we possess?

Thomas Aquinas in the 13^th century researched and wrote thousands of pages without the amenities that we hold today. Could we do the same? The movie WALL-E ended with a futuristic glimpse at what could come if we continue down the trajectory we are currently on. Everyone became nothing more than a glob of goo as they depended on technology to do their every bidding. We must not allow ourselves to do the same, especially when it comes to higher, critical thinking.

About the Author 

Brian G. Chilton earned a Ph.D. in the Theology and Apologetics program at Liberty University. He is the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast and the founder of Bellator Christi. Brian received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); earned a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and plans to purse philosophical studies in the near future. He is also enrolled in Clinical Pastoral Education to better learn how to empower those around him. Brian is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years and currently serves as a clinical hospice chaplain as well as a pastor.

https://www.amazon.com/Laymans-Manual-Christian-Apologetics-Essentials/dp/1532697104

Notes

[1] “Plagiarism,” Oxford Dictionary.

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