This paper examines the impact of ChatGPT on learning and assessment in higher education, particularly in the context of academic essays. ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art chatbot, has generated significant public interest and raised concerns in the higher education sector. The study conducted a quasi-experiment where ChatGPT was used to generate academic essays in response to a typical assessment brief, and the essays were then subjected to plagiarism checks and independent grading. The results indicate that ChatGPT can generate highly original and high-quality content from distinct individual accounts but struggles with multiple original outputs from the same account and referencing. The discussion highlights the need for higher education providers to rethink their assessment methods in response to the disruptive impact of AI. The paper proposes a new conceptual framework for AI-assisted assessment, extending beyond knowledge testing to include competence and performance evaluations, to better prepare students for lifelong learning in the 21st-century knowledge economy.This paper examines the impact of ChatGPT on learning and assessment in higher education, particularly in the context of academic essays. ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art chatbot, has generated significant public interest and raised concerns in the higher education sector. The study conducted a quasi-experiment where ChatGPT was used to generate academic essays in response to a typical assessment brief, and the essays were then subjected to plagiarism checks and independent grading. The results indicate that ChatGPT can generate highly original and high-quality content from distinct individual accounts but struggles with multiple original outputs from the same account and referencing. The discussion highlights the need for higher education providers to rethink their assessment methods in response to the disruptive impact of AI. The paper proposes a new conceptual framework for AI-assisted assessment, extending beyond knowledge testing to include competence and performance evaluations, to better prepare students for lifelong learning in the 21st-century knowledge economy.