Generative AI (artificial intelligence) tools, including ChatGPT, open new opportunities for us all and have the potential to change the actuarial profession.
As part of our ongoing work to deliver modern digital assessments we are exploring the impact of new AI technologies on how we assess, on the integrity of assessments, and what this means for you.
While these tools and their potential continue to evolve, we are providing immediate guidance on the use of AI tools for those sitting our exams in April 2023, and things to consider for the future.
No. You must not use any generative AI tools in our exams.
We assess your competency through your own work. Outputs from AI tools are not your own work. Use of such outputs in your exam script will therefore be investigated as potential inappropriate examination conduct. This may result in a ban from sitting future IFoA exams and could result in difficult conversations with your employer or recruiters.
We believe that if you are well-prepared, simply answering questions in your own words will allow you to demonstrate your competency in a time-efficient manner.
To maintain the integrity of our exams we use specialist software to identify potential cases of inappropriate exam conduct. This is to ensure candidates do not gain unfair advantage over others. As the power of AI tools to answer questions has evolved, so too have the systems for the detection of such content. We will be upgrading our specialist software in advance of the April 2023 exams to better detect AI generated content in candidates' exam scripts. Markers will also remain vigilant when reviewing scripts to identify any concerns they may have related to such content.
We will subject any scripts flagged by our software or markers to further scrutiny as potential inappropriate examination conduct.
Qualification-awarding bodies, including the IFoA, are responding to the rapid evolution of generative AI tools.
In the immediate term all are responding, as we are, to ensure the integrity of current assessments.
However, we are embracing the development of these technologies with their potential to enhance our own processes - such as the integrity of exams, future IFoA assessments - to ensure they are designed to directly assess professional competencies and higher order skills and improving candidate experience.
We have already committed to changing the mix of our examinations, including the introduction of Objective Based Assessments (OBAs), to better assess competencies and higher order skills. We expect that future developments of generative AI will support this, enabling candidates to demonstrate their professional competency in each study area without having to memorise and repeat content.
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