Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. And as it continues to develop, it remains up in the air how it will affect our academic institutions. It could be a scary step in the direction of all that the sci-fi genre has been trying to warn us about: one day you’re using AI to fix your grammar, the next you’re on the run from sexy robot Megan Fox, an Ex Machina horror story.
All jokes aside, the conversation around AI is relevant for students and anyone in academic institutions because it truly is inescapable. Even for those who aren’t actively seeking out AI, it’s now integrated into simple, everyday software like the Google search engine.
I wonder, though, what is the cost of this technology — and what does it say about the students that use it? As with all new inventions in the realm of technology, there are pros and cons to consider
Learning enhancement versus abuse of technology
There is a fine line between abusing the power of AI within an academic institution and using it in a scholarly manner. It seems justifiable to use AI to enhance one’s learning.
Maybe you’ve done a set of calculus or statistics questions and want to check your answers — there is nothing wrong with wanting to learn from your mistakes and have AI show how to better solve a question. In this instance, the student has put in the work and used their own learned skills but is using the technology to enhance their learning.
It becomes different when a student uses AI to do the work for them. In this case, technology is taking away from one’s learning experience. With all the expenses of attending post-secondary institutions, I would hope that students would want to make the best of their experience and put in effort to better themselves. Not only can AI take away from a student’s learning, but it is also often wrong, providing incorrect information and citations. Having AI not only do the work, but have it do it incorrectly is certainly not a risk I am willing to take.
Although I do not recommend the use of AI, and generally frown upon it, I don’t think it is necessarily a poor reflection of students if they use it: AI has been produced to be used and is very easily accessible. Students have been set up by mass corporations with control — like Google — and put in a position where it often seems implausible to not use it. But the easiest method is not always the best, and I think AI reflects this.
AI & the English student — additional cons
For an English student writing essays and doing creative writing assignments, AI is simply a waste of my time: the whole point of my degree is to develop critical thinking skills and explore my own writing style. If I used AI to write, I would no longer be thinking about these things at all.
Even something as simple as the editor tool on Microsoft Word can be frustrating — oftentimes the recommended grammar is not what I’m looking to do and is wrong; wording choice recommendations also take away from my writing style. I think there is merit in scholarly learning and taking the time to do the work oneself. University can be stressful, but it feels so rewarding when I’ve done an assignment well — and if AI did my work for me, the experience would no longer be rewarding. I hope others share this sentiment and honour the better parts of academia — like the reward that comes from doing work yourself.
Professors’ response to AI use
So far in my academic career, most of my professors have handled the use of AI well. In many classes, tests are done on paper or online in a lockdown browser, and these methods seem pretty foolproof. As for papers or assignments, it can get trickier.
I’ve seen varying levels of AI mentions within various syllabuses: some have no statements on AI whatsoever; meanwhile, some have mention of a firm rule of using zero AI as addressing this. And it can get tricky for a prof, seeing as how at times it can be difficult to discern between AI use or a commonplace phrase.
At the end of the day, by abusing the technology available, you can put your academic career at risk. At the end of the day, the person you’re hurting the most in using AI for school is yourself.
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