Why China Dismisses AI Content Detection as ‘Superstition Technology’

As graduation approaches, Chinese universities are implementing regulations regarding the permissible level of artificial intelligence-generated content—referred to as the “AI rate”—in theses. These guidelines aim to combat academic misconduct amid growing concerns about AI’s unregulated use in scholarly work, particularly following the emergence of generative AI models like ChatGPT. Some institutions have made the AI rate a criterion for thesis approval. However, the Ministry of Science and Technology has cautioned against relying on AI content detection tools, describing this reliance as “technological superstition.” Such tools may yield false positives, misclassifying original student work as AI-generated. An editorial cited cases where even well-known essays, written a century ago, were misidentified as over 60% AI-generated by these detection systems. This issue illustrates the potential negative consequences of over-relying on technology in assessing academic integrity.

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