AI Can Assist Learning, But Not Replace It.

We’ve all been there before; forgot to do an assignment, it's due in 30 minutes, and you haven’t even started. However, for the first time ever, students in this exact situation can simply enter a prompt into an artificial intelligence site called Chat GPT and have that assignment done in a matter of minutes. 

Open AI, an AI research-based company, released ChatGPT in November 2022. After that day, teachers across the nation were confused about how their worst students suddenly completed assignments on time. With ChatGPT, the user only has to enter a prompt, and the algorithm will respond accordingly. This prompt can be anything from a question about biology to writing an entire essay. Up to 43% of college students have used ChatGPT and other AI software to supplement their work; which many schools and professors consider cheating. 

I contend that college students should be able to utilize AI software in their learning. For example, in elementary school, we learn that one plus one equals two rather than how to get that answer from a calculator. Later on, we use calculators to do that basic arithmetic in order to save time and simplify learning. In a similar way, college students who have already learned writing concepts should be able to use AI as if it were a calculator for writing. 

If a student were writing a research paper for a class, one way that they could utilize ChatGPT without cheating would be to ask it to outline their essay. Additionally, ChatGPT can provide summaries of concepts and usually gives detailed explanations that could assist a student in their writing. There are some cases where ChatGPT is inaccurate, which is why user discretion is advised. In some cases it might not be optimal to use ChatGPT, such as a research paper or article. However, AI has the potential to make the learning process more efficient at a higher level, as long as students do not rely on it while learning basic skills. 

MU Assistant Strategic Communications Professor Luke Capizzo and his class have been studying AI and its place in schools for a final project at the end of the semester. 

“[AI] can be a useful tool in the future, but as an educator, my job is to ensure that students understand the fundamental process of formulating language,” Capizzo said. “However, students miss out when they’re not taking opportunities to learn best practices on how to use these tools.”

Capizzo and many teachers consider AI to be cheating; however, they understand how it can assist students in learning. He makes the distinction that AI should supplement learning, not replace it.

According to Capizzo, the University of Missouri currently has no official policy on AI software in classes. So far, it has been left up to the teacher’s discretion; most see anything with a hint of AI in the realm of cheating. 

“If a student really needs to practice sentence-level writing, they should do that on their own, or they’re not going to learn,” Capizzo said. “If students don’t do that, what are they paying to be in the classroom for? I tend to put that onus rather than go out of my way to use AI detection tools.” 

The concern many professors have with AI and cheating is understandable. At higher levels of learning, most students understand the importance of conceptualizing fundamentals on their own rather than having ChatGPT do it for them. Yet in high school, some students fall into the habit of relying on AI software to do all their work. According to the Pew Center for research, 13% of teens that have heard of ChatGPT admit to using it for school work, a number that should be alarming for schools across the nation. 

 I urge professors and teachers alike to utilize AI detection software to hold younger students accountable rather than giving them free domain to do what they please because oftentimes they would prefer to make decisions that aren’t in their best interest. AI detection software isn't the best solution, as it is not always accurate. However, through increased awareness, professors and teachers can identify inconsistencies in a student's work. Being aware of the issue is the first step, but in the meantime, schools need to be patient while better methods to combat AI are created. 

Those who are in more advanced classes and have already learned the fundamentals of the skill they are practicing should be allowed to utilize AI to save them time to focus on more complex work, and university policies should reflect this. In the work field, a lot of industries and professions are integrating AI services like ChatGPT to make their work more efficient. However, those who have not reached that level need to learn the fundamentals of these subjects, and using AI would rob them of the opportunity to do so.