3rd IRAFPA Symposium 20/22 June 2024

Under the leadership of its founder, Professor Michelle Bergadaà (University of Geneva), this Institute has been developing studies and interventions aimed at safeguarding the principles of integrity in research, across all disciplines. It was no wonder that the subject of the day was artificial intelligence, as it disrupts, for good or bad, the research and teaching processes. This third conference, co-organised with Professor Paulo Peixoto, brought together some forty researchers from various countries, was held in the pleasant setting of an old property belonging to the University of Coimbra, in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. The interests of the debates were its multidisciplinary side and the atmosphere of relaxed discussion between academics sharing the same concern both in defense of scientific and legal principles to preside over the research, and the need to adapt to current technologies. Plagiarism, imitation, non-authenticity of results, all take on a new dimension with AI, as many communications have shown. The discussions also focused on the effectiveness of the academic entities supposed to ensure to avoid abuses. Copyright issues are also not absent from these developments. Finally, it was clearly shown that the risks of AI were part of an earlier race to scientific publication and mercantile drift of journal publishers, not to mention fraudulent processes. In all the represented countries, it seemed essential to significantly develop the training of students and doctoral students in the ethical use of AI and to raise awareness among researchers themselves, many of whom still underestimate the challenges to be met.

The paper prepared by Y. Livian and R. Laurini focused on strategies for the use of AI for the writing of dissertations and theses by international students, following a survey of students and supervisors of the association “Coup de Pouce Université” of Lyon. It has elicited many comments, notably on the new importance of oral in language learning and its evaluation, and on the risk of “industrialization” of writing.   It will be part of those published in the next collective work of the IRAFPA.