MalayMail/CNA-May 23
Every secondary school student surveyed in Singapore admits to using artificial intelligence for homework, according to new research involving 500 students. The comprehensive study found that 29 per cent of secondary students use AI several times per week, with the remainder using it at least monthly for academic work, according to a CNA feature.
Students primarily use AI for generating assignment ideas (86 per cent), solving mathematics problems (63 per cent), and proofreading work (47 per cent). Secondary 3 student Rebekah Low explains her approach: “If I feel I’m stuck, I’d just get ChatGPT to list some ideas, just to get the brain juices flowing.” Many students openly discuss their AI usage, with teachers often knowing about and sometimes encouraging responsible use. “It’s still essentially our own work,” said Low, noting how her English teacher encourages students to use AI for generating ideas “in point form” and to “really think” before elaborating. However, only 51 per cent of secondary students attend schools with clear AI usage rules, while 33 per cent remain unsure about their school’s policies. Teachers across Singapore hold widely varying views on AI use, with education expert Jonathan Sim noting: “On one end, you have some teachers who are very excited… You also have some who don’t know how to deal with it — ‘let’s just pretend it doesn’t exist.’” AI detection tools prove unreliable, with Sim demonstrating how the same work received vastly different AI scores across platforms, leading him to conclude: “That’s how unreliable (AI detection) is.” Sim warns that inconsistent detection could damage teacher-student relationships: “If the student writes like us, and it gets constantly flagged… that’s going to affect the student and the student’s motivation to learn.” The Ministry of Education has developed an AI-in-Education Ethics Primer, but Sim notes “there isn’t any very clear guidance across the board.” The survey reveals a significant disconnect between widespread AI adoption and institutional preparedness to handle it. Read more at:
