Classroom Technology

Black Students Are More Likely to Be Falsely Accused of Using AI to Cheat

By Alyson Klein — September 18, 2024 2 min read
Student working on a computer.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Black students are more than twice as likely as their white or Hispanic peers to have their writing incorrectly flagged as the work of artificial intelligence tools, concludes a report released Sept. 18 by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that examines the impact of technology on young people.

Overall, about 10 percent of teens of any background said they had their work inaccurately identified as generated by an AI tool, Common Sense found.

But 20 percent of Black teens were falsely accused of using AI to complete an assignment, compared with 7 percent of white and 10 percent of Latino teens.

This may be at least partially due to flaws in AI detection software. About 79 percent of teens who had their assignments incorrectly flagged by a teacher also had their work submitted to AI detection software, while 27 percent said their work had not been submitted.

AI detection software has already been shown to have problematic biases, even though secondary school teachers commonly use the technology.

More than two-thirds—68 percent—of teachers report using an AI detection tool regularly, according to a survey of 460 6th to 12th grade public school teachers conducted for the Center for Democracy & Technology, a nonprofit organization that aims to shape technology policy.

But the tools often reflect societal biases. Researchers ran essays written by Chinese students for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, through seven widely-used detectors. They did the same with a sample of essays written by U.S. 8th graders who were native English speakers.

The tools incorrectly labeled more than half of the TOEFL essays as AI-generated, while accurately classifying the 8th grade essays as human-crafted.

Common Sense Media’s findings on Black students could be due to either unfairness in AI detection tools or biases in educators themselves, according to experts.

“We know that AI is putting out incredibly biased content,” said Amanda Lenhart, the head of research at Common Sense. “Humans come in with biases and preconceived notions about students in their classroom. AI is just another place in which unfairness is being laid upon students of color.”

Put another way, even though AI tools aren’t human themselves, they reflect people’s prejudices, even unconscious ones. “AI is not going to walk us out of our pre-existing biases,” Lenhart said.

If a teacher does suspect a student used AI to cheat on an assignment, it’s best to have a conversation with the student before jumping to punitive measures, educators and experts say. Schools also need to craft clear policies on when and how it’s acceptable to use AI to complete schoolwork.

The Common Sense report is based on a nationally representative survey conducted from March to May of 1,045 adults in the United States who are the parents or guardians of one or more teens aged 13 to 18, and responses from one of their teenage children. All 18-year-old respondents were still in high school when surveyed.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
(Re)Focus on Dyslexia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis & Toward Transformation
Move beyond dyslexia diagnoses & focus on effective literacy instruction for ALL students. Join us to learn research-based strategies that benefit learners in PreK-8.
Content provided by EPS Learning
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Cohesive Instruction, Connected Schools: Scale Excellence District-Wide with the Right Technology
Ensure all students receive high-quality instruction with a cohesive educational framework. Learn how to empower teachers and leverage technology.
Content provided by Instructure
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
How to Use Data to Combat Bullying and Enhance School Safety
Join our webinar to learn how data can help identify bullying, implement effective interventions, & foster student well-being.
Content provided by Panorama Education

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on Blended Learning
This Spotlight will help you analyze key research on school tech use, explore strategies for engaging virtual instruction, and more.
Classroom Technology What Schools Can Do to Make Teens Smarter Users of AI
Teens who have talked about AI in school are more likely to use it responsibly.
2 min read
Illustration of three educators in hard hats lifting up a very large letter "I" next to a large letter A.
DigitalVision Vectors
Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on Media Literacy
This Spotlight will provide you with strategies to spot AI manipulation, review how media literacy has evolved in schools, and more.


Classroom Technology Q&A Don't Buy the AI Hype, Learning Expert Warns
Benjamin Riley, founder and CEO of Cognitive Resonance, explains his concerns about using AI in education.
5 min read
AI Skeptic 1244482154
metamorworks/iStock/Getty