The largest output of a PhD has always been the training to the student, not the thesis itself, hence why we're called 'students'. Anyone claiming that a thesis can be generated by AI is missing the point. AI can also do everything an undergrad can do, we don't claim that undergrad education has been blown to bits. At best, we say we need better modes of evaluation, and perhaps that's true for PhDs as well. I submitt…
And how is the PhD student trained? By doing research and writing about it by him/herself. > we don't claim that undergrad education has been blown to bits But it has been. People pass CS classes without knowing how to write even a simple program. How do you think they'll fare? As a meme said: you'd better start eating real healthy, because your future doctor will graduate using chatgpt.
Let me fix it: pen and paper. There you go, bada-bing bada-bum. In our uni the exam for Algorithms and Data Structures (one that most people struggle with) is done on paper in an exam room. You better know your binary search.
People, especially wealthy, have been coasting through education paying someone to write their papers since Great Pumpkin knows how long. Now you can do same thing cheaply with LLM’s. The solution is pretty simple, let them fail. Have them show what they can do live in front of examiners. Here’s a computer without network card, only Python and SQLite installed with the Python basic documentation, build me X and prove it works in Z, Y, and Q.
I am studying my second degree and although there’s million and one ways to cheat, I won’t, since A) I want to learn this shot B) I am not sure LLM’s will be available with these capacity and with theses prices in the future, at least I won’t count on it.