Have you ever wondered what would happen to the knowledge that students would not learn because of artificial intelligence? Some people say that AI is a useful tool for students because it can be a helpful resource for students by explaining new concepts in ways that work best for them. On the other hand, others believe that AI is a threat to students, preventing their academic future. Generative artificial intelligence can process rapid information, but human intelligence is more efficient for students. Humans actually understand the information, unlike generative AI, which can gather any information from the Internet without checking if it’s accurate.
For instance, digital tools, particularly generative artificial intelligence, should not have limitless access for students, because when students rely on digital tools to do their schoolwork, it can lead them to take shortcuts and put in minimal effort. Students may generate their entire assignment, instead of writing it on their own. This can also prevent the chance for students from academically succeeding, reaching their full potential. Students using generative AI for shortcuts on their schoolwork also affects the skills they could have improved. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, nearly 70% of teachers agreed that students took shortcuts, with minimal effort, by using digital tools. As a result, students scored low in their ability to read and digest long words.
From my perspective, this reason is similar to retaking a failed test. Here at Clague, to take a retake for most of my classes, I have to provide evidence showing that I have met the learning targets of the test. This shows my teacher that I can now take the retake, since I know what I got wrong and know how to solve/answer it. However, if I still didn’t know how to solve the problem/s I got wrong on the test, and just cheated using AI to create evidence showing that I have met the learning targets for me, then on the day of the re-take test, I would fail that test as well.
In addition to why students shouldn’t have the use of limitless digital tools, particularly generative artificial intelligence, in school, is that it could prevent students’ knowledge from actually growing to its full potential. Students who don’t use shortcuts for their schoolwork improve academically and have a strong understanding. Professor of media history at Cal State Northridge, Elizabeth Blakey, tried an experiment on her students. She tried this experiment to show and prove to them that their minds were better than generative artificial intelligence. “I am using ChatGPT in my classroom,” said Elizabeth Blakey, in the Los Angeles Times. “I asked the chatbot to write my lecture on the history of broadcast media. Unsurprisingly, the text it generated was horrible. So I’ll have my students write a better one, turning each cliché into original imagery and poor word choices into something more precise”.
In my opinion, this is a logical reason why students shouldn’t be able to have unlimited access to AI. I feel like this is like saying that you can explain concepts more understandably if you explain in your own words, rather than reading off of an article/piece that was already written. Based on this example, AI is a machine that just reads information related to the idea that was asked to be searched, no matter if it’s accurate or not.
Others who disagree argue that digital tools are harmful for students, but believe that digital tools, particularly generative artificial intelligence, can actually help students. Generative AI can support students by explaining the same concept in ways that make sense to each student, since everyone learns differently. Generative AI first finds out what the student struggles with and then explains it in different ways. This makes it easier for the student to understand in the best way possible. Duolingo, a language-learning app, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create and grade English tests for colleges, companies, and government agencies. The tests begin with the average questions, and will increase or decrease based on how well the student does. This will benefit students by classifying the areas they are skilled in and the areas they struggle with.
Even though I believe that students shouldn’t have limitless access to use generative AI, I can also see how generative AI can support students by translating or generating the concept into an easier way for the student to understand. But I disagree with this because even though some students might not use AI to cheat, there are many who will. In my opinion, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are often negatively used at school, and many teachers won’t be able to catch those students who do that if not caught fast enough. But I do agree that Securly AI, a safe conversational AI tool designed for K-12 schools, is within the limits to be acceptable for students to use. This is because Securly AI is monitored, and this can help students not cheat.
Others who disagree may believe that generative AI is an efficient tool, but AI isn’t always accurate. Generative AI just provides information on the Internet, without knowing if it’s correct or not. Students who take shortcuts on their schoolwork by using generative AI can get confused when given inaccurate information. This supports why students should actually learn and complete their schoolwork on their own. Khan Academy is testing its ‘AI tutor’ with 8,000 students and educators this fall. With this new feature, students can “chat with a growing list of AI-powered historical figures.
As well as mentioning that although some students might not use AI to cheat, many others will, AI can give inaccurate information. Sometimes, when I need some practice problems for a certain class, like math, I can see that some of the questions are wrong. After I ask AI to re-generate the questions, AI does it wrong over and over again.
One important fact to remember is that although generative AI can process rapid information, human intelligence is more efficient for students. Humans actually understand the information, unlike generative AI, which can gather information from the Internet without verifying its accuracy. If students understand the information through real learning, they can improve their own work better than AI. So, as a result, students shouldn’t have unlimited technology at school.
