Bill Ackman predicts AI-powered plagiarism checks will cause major academic embarrassment

Last Updated on January 8, 2024 by Robert C. Hoopes

Bill Ackman, the billionaire investor, recently discussed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in detecting plagiarism within academia. According to Ackman, AI can swiftly analyze academic papers to identify instances of plagiarism, such as missing quotation marks, inadequate paraphrasing, and failure to credit others’ work. However, concerns about the reliability of AI tools in this area have been raised, especially after incidents where AI has been accused of plagiarism.

One prominent case involves the New York Times suing OpenAI over an AI tool that allegedly plagiarized content. These incidents have brought into question the trustworthiness of AI when it comes to plagiarism detection. Nevertheless, AI has the potential to offer new capabilities that traditional tools lacked.

To demonstrate his faith in AI, Ackman has announced that he will subject the work of MIT President Sally Kornbluth and faculty to plagiarism checks, promising to share the findings publicly. This decision comes after Business Insider accused Ackman’s wife, Neri Oxman, of plagiarizing parts of her doctoral dissertation. Despite the accusations, Ackman staunchly defends his wife and contemplates the future implications of AI tools in detecting plagiarism.

In line with his belief in the power of AI, Ackman proposes that no publication by a faculty member be released without undergoing an AI review for plagiarism. He raises concerns about potential embarrassment and consequences for both universities and faculty members if plagiarism is uncovered through AI reviews.

It is important to note that Ackman’s recent pressure campaign against university presidents did not solely stem from plagiarism allegations. His campaign began after what he perceived as a failure to address on-campus antisemitism. As a result, Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard, and Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania also stepped down. Ackman asserts that plagiarism allegations played a role in his actions, but that they were not the primary focus.

Furthermore, Ackman advocates against using race, gender, or sexual orientation as criteria when selecting university leaders. He compares this current mindset, known as the “DEI era,” to the McCarthy era, cautioning against potential drawbacks.

In conclusion, Bill Ackman believes that AI tools have the potential to revolutionize plagiarism detection within academia. Despite concerns surrounding the reliability of AI, Ackman vows to subject academic papers to plagiarism checks and urges universities to adopt AI reviews to avoid potential embarrassment. However, his recent actions should be viewed in the context of his campaign against university presidents and his concerns about the so-called “DEI era.”