Students have been able to get through classes in the past without AI and can certainly do it now.
With AI advancing rapidly, many industries are scrambling to figure out how to adjust to the change.
Academic institutions are struggling to understand how they can safely implement policies and procedures given that it’s nearly impossible to avoid it entirely.
AI can be used to condense students’ notes and analyze text but these are skills that academic studies are meant to teach you. Having AI do it for you hinders your ability to think critically.
How can one expect to get a job where analytical skills are required when they rely on AI to do those things for them? If you can use AI as a substitute, companies can use it to substitute you.
When speaking to professors, the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professors seemed to be less concerned than professors of humanities.
Humanities doesn’t have such straightforward material as something like math so it’s more difficult to spot the use of AI.
Writing styles are also very subjective and therefore it’s harder to spot the use of AI.
Falsely accusing a student by a professor is another possibility of a student not using AI but being accused of it.
During an in-person math class, it’s easier to spot a person’s skill level and compare it to the work they do on their own time.
Even online AI checkers are inaccurate and unreliable.
After writing an essay, a student may insert it into an AI checker and despite it being all original besides quotes, it claims that they have used AI.
Students are frustrated at having to compromise the quality of their writing for the sake of not being accused of AI while professors don’t know how to regulate AI.
Students have shared stories on social media that teachers and professors at all levels have provided AI tools for them or encouraged the use of them.
Google Docs has a feature that allows educators to see the writing process of the student and they can see if something has been copied and pasted.
The normalization of these tools is only adding fuel to the fire. It’s important to acknowledge the dangers of having AI do everything for you.
We will never be able to truly prevent students from cheating with AI but we can try to contain it as much as possible.
As for students, using AI for notes can be useful but it’s important to not rely on AI so much. You are only hurting yourself more in the long term.
Ultimately, the best medicine for those who use AI in academics relentlessly is to acknowledge the reality of what AI is taking away from their actual learning experience.
