The Shortcut Problem
Document Type
Poster Presentation
Publication Date
4-17-2026
Keywords
fsc2026
Abstract
This project looks at the growing use of ChatGPT in college classrooms, specifically around the ethics of plagiarism and what students actually lose when AI does their thinking for them. Marcus and Davis make the argument throughout Rebooting AI that AI systems produce outputs that imitate understanding without actually having it, and this paper plans to apply that idea directly to the academic setting. When a student submits AI-generated work, they are not just sidestepping the assignment, they are handing in the product of a system that has no real grasp of what it wrote. The paper will explore where the line falls between using AI as a helpful tool and using it as a straight-up substitute for thinking, what that means for fairness among students, and what universities are actually doing or not doing about any of this. The goal is to take the philosophical groundwork laid by Marcus and Davis and connect it to something that is happening right now on campuses everywhere.
Publication Information
Pettee, Owen, "The Shortcut Problem" (2026). Fisher Showcase 2026. Paper 215.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/fsc2026/215
Please note that the Publication Information provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit https://libguides.sjf.edu/citations.
Comments
Poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026.