Chat-GPT Didn’t MakeThis Title—Believe It?

Article by Tanya Arora:

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For any modern student, it’s likely that they’ve seen at least one slideshow about AI, typically just rehashing the same basic rules on plagiarism. Other than these repeating lists of AI “dos” and “don'ts” for Summatives, students usually receive few guidelines on specific AI usage scenarios. They are often left wondering about the ethics of minor AI assistance. For instance, students may wonder, is it really so wrong to ask AI to fix just one sentence's grammar? I mean, they think, it’s not like I’m asking Chat-GPT to write the sentence for me. 

However, despite this act being seemingly innocent, it may just be the outset to what lands a student in an English office a month later, listening to a lecture on how the writing didn’t have enough personality. It’s these experiences that repeatedly leave a student feeling confused, wondering where they crossed the line or how they got caught for a crime they didn’t commit. Yet, what teachers call “academic integrity issues coming up more often” may just reflect a necessity to reform the education system (Kim Brauer, high school humanities teacher). 

Since expectations on students have changed, the exposure to AI platforms may have to do the same. “As more is expected from students, in terms of college applications, we need to use AI to our best advantage,” (Ria Singh, 9th grader). Since the 1970s, the number of college applicants have doubled due to more students competing for admissions. This results in top American universities asking students to have both extracurricular and academic prowess, unlike years back where just good grades made the cut (National Library of Medicine). In efforts to manage these last-minute essays and club meetings, many realize that time isn’t in their favor. Hereafter, to earn their parents' pride by beating a competitive pool of applicants, some decide that they may just have to type “Perplexity. AI” and “fix my writing” in their MacBooks, allowing them to manage the hours of schoolwork  Moreover, with the so-called “study tips” on social media being filled with different types of AI apps and students saying in the corridors that they just “Chat-GPTed” their homework, the temptation to use AI becomes real and almost impossible to avoid.

At the same time, as teenagers, following suit on teachers’ expectations for AI grows more challenging when the adults in the room, meant to be role models, can’t do the same. “I've seen teachers use AI to grade my work. It was for a formative…but it was definitely upsetting,” (anonymous 11th grader). Evidently, the hypocrisy of students being tasked to avoid AI when teachers use it freely speaks volumes on how high schoolers must conform to guidelines which don’t match a world that’s shaping up to be built around AI. 

Granted, these ideas can’t yet justify an education system where students receive complete access to AI as it would distort a teacher’s understanding of student knowledge. However, as “even small amounts of editing defeated AI detection software,” tricking the systems teachers set in place have become easier to do and a nightmare to control (One Useful Thing).

For that reason, while policies should continue surrounding AI, classrooms could equip students for a “world full of uncertainties” by focusing on building their AI resilient skills, such as problem-solving and empathy (Harvard Graduate School of Education). By spending more time enabling students to use tools like AI in an efficient manner, rather than only considering the “correct” and “wrong” usage, schools raise students who would make mature decisions on AI in the future. Furthermore, for students to build a healthy relationship with AI, it’s key for teachers to convey that AI isn't an “evil” tool for cheating. Rather, they should describe it as a tool that enhances student learning, not substituting it.

Ultimately, as AI continues to be a hot topic in education, it becomes ever more important for schools to address the discrepancy between their rules and AI’s role in this generation. While, for many students, AI may just be an exciting tool to explore, it’s also a platform all high schoolers will have complete access to in a few years time. The future of AI is uncertain, yet full of possibilities. 

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