The Role of Task Complexity in Reducing AI Plagiarism: A Study of Generative AI Tools

TL;DR

This study shows that increasing task complexity in assessments can significantly reduce AI-generated plagiarism, emphasizing the importance of higher-order thinking tasks for effective academic integrity.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that higher-order tasks decrease AI plagiarism and distinguishes between similarity scores and actual AI-generated content.

Findings

AI plagiarism decreases with task complexity

Higher-order tasks lead to lower similarity scores

Recommendations for using both similarity scores and AI detection

Abstract

This study investigates whether assessments fostering higher-order thinking skills can reduce plagiarism involving generative AI tools. Participants completed three tasks of varying complexity in four groups: control, e-textbook, Google, and ChatGPT. Findings show that AI plagiarism decreases as task complexity increases, with higher-order tasks resulting in lower similarity scores and AI plagiarism percentages. The study also highlights the distinction between similarity scores and AI plagiarism, recommending both for effective plagiarism detection. Results suggest that assessments promoting higher-order thinking are a viable strategy for minimizing AI-driven plagiarism.