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Ethics case: the AI-writing detector

Problem

The department asks the StudyBuddy team to add a feature: "Automatically check every Q&A post and lab report with an AI-text detector. Posts scoring above 80% 'AI-generated' are flagged, and the instructor receives a weekly list of flagged students for possible academic-misconduct proceedings." A vendor offers a detector claiming "99% accuracy".

Write an ethical and legal analysis (about one page):

  1. Stakeholders and how each is affected (include those with no voice in the decision).
  2. Technical concerns: what "99% accuracy" hides (base rates, false positives, non-native writers — use the Stanford 2023 finding), and what evidence you would demand.
  3. Code of Ethics: which ACM/IEEE principles are involved and how.
  4. Legal view: privacy (Chapter 11), EU AI Act classification of such a system, transparency duties.
  5. Your recommendation to the department: build / do not build / build with conditions — with concrete conditions or alternatives.

Work it out on paper, in a document or here, then compare with the model answer. Your answer stays in your browser — it is never sent to or stored on the server.