AI-Generated Programming Solutions: Impacts on Academic Integrity and Good Practices

As AI-powered chatbots, notably ChatGPT, gain widespread popularity, their integration into academic settings raises concerns about preserving academic integrity. Students increasingly employ these chatbots to generate answers for assignments and, notably, programming problems. Existing countermeasures, such as plagiarism checkers equipped with AI writing detection capabilities, struggle to detect AI-generated computer programs. To thoroughly examine this challenge, we conducted an experiment, presenting diverse programming problems to ChatGPT. Alarming findings revealed its remarkable proficiency in generating correct solutions across various topics, complexities of problems, and programming languages. To explore the implications, we engaged a focus group of programming teachers, resulting in the identification of key practices and strategies to respond to AI-generated work. These insights provide valuable guidance for educators seeking to maintain integrity while adapting to the evolving role of AI in education.