AI databases, like ChatGPT, are strictly banned in schools. Using artificial intelligence is considered, by most educators, to be a form of cheating. However, it cannot be denied that using AI makes our lives significantly easier, and that adults and children alike have started to depend on such technology for advice, information, and even as a therapist!
Artificial intelligence is the future of our world, much like how smartphones once were. Students across the globe have grown up surrounded by technology, and many younger students do not even know a world without AI. Google searches seem tedious when compared to ChatGPT, which can give a straight answer without hours of mindless surfing. The big question, though, remains: should students be allowed to use AI as a tool, or should it be completely exempt from their learning lives?
Well, looking back at history, people seem to be treating AI the same way TVs used to be treated. Children used to be constantly on TV, watching cartoons without a care in the world, until parents started to notice changes in their behavior, like their shortening attention spans, increasingly frequent tantrums, declining physical activity, and difficulty in regulating emotions. It remains debatable whether these changes can be attributed to TV, as scientists continue to seek a scapegoat to blame for these developmental shifts. AI is also wiring children’s brains differently by diminishing critical thinking skills, increasing laziness when it comes to doing schoolwork, and hindering cognitive recall. Adults are concerned with how schools are managing AI and the potential impact AI might have on the future of education.
Throughout school, there are many instances where AI can be useful without having to copy and cheat off of it. For example, students can use AI to create better study guides, understand how to get the answers to their math problems, and learn whole subjects alone. Sophomore Riley Johnson claims, “When AI is being used in the right way, it can be an extremely helpful tool that can enhance learning.” Some students see AI as a resource, much like how Google was seen for the past few generations. To them, ChatGPT is a new and improved version of Google!
The ongoing problem continues, though, that students are not using AI as a learning resource, but as a tool to get work done quickly. While this can be useful at times, teachers have found that students who continuously use AI to do homework are performing worse on tests, proving that they are not retaining the information they need. Adults do not suffer from this issue because they already have the skills to do what they are asking of artificial intelligence. Students do not have this luxury. As Annie Wei explains, AI in schools is simply being used as “an easy way out of doing work, and [AI] doesn’t really help students learn. At the same time, I think it depends on the situation and what class it’s being used for.”
No one can deny that AI is a tool and that this tool is slowly becoming an even more important part of our lives. However, for students specifically, it is a poor idea to use AI to do ANY homework, as homework is assigned to help students actively recall information they learned outside of the classroom. Even though it may hinder students’ ability to learn, schools should not completely ban AI. It is up to the administration to truly teach students how to use AI effectively and appropriately, instead of removing a resource that is crucial to the future of our world.
