AI-Generated Column Prompts Controversy at Western Sydney University
Sydney, Australia — A senior academic at Western Sydney University, who publicly criticized students for cutting corners with artificial intelligence, has herself been found to have used AI to help write an opinion piece without disclosing it.
Professor Cath Ellis, the university's pro vice-chancellor for quality and integrity, had a column published in the Sydney Morning Herald in April 2025. The piece was written in response to an earlier article by academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who suggested students could outsource learning to AI.
"The AI problem is real," Ellis wrote, urging students to attend university and avoid taking shortcuts.
University Confirms AI Usage
It was later revealed that the column was generated with AI assistance. According to the university, Ellis uploaded 40,000 words of her own materials to a Copilot Large Language Model, which then generated prompts that she used for early drafts of the column.
The university described this as a "sophisticated and appropriate use" of AI.
However, Ellis's piece did not initially disclose any use of artificial intelligence. The Sydney Morning Herald's editor, Jordan Baker, stated that the publication was not informed of the AI assistance and deemed the article unacceptable.
The article has since been removed from the Herald's website.