AI is an incredible tool, and boy, is it readily available. I cannot name an app that does not have ChatGPT or something similar built in. AI is so readily available that there is no need to think about practically anything anymore. A lot of these apps are ones I use frequently every single day, so AI is shoved in my face.
For most students, the convenience of LLMs, or Large Language Models, is too enticing and hard to turn down. With that comes the fact that most students I interact with are too reliant on technology and need more critical thinking skills.
I have witnessed people use AI on an essay and get mad when they get a bad grade for it as if it was not their fault for using it in the first place. This has also carried over into situations where AI cannot be used. Due to the lack of development in critical thinking skills, I have witnessed my classmates becoming dependent on me to think for them.
I have talked to students and teachers about this topic and the ideas differ vastly based on the demographic. Students tended not to care if it was cheating or not, while teachers said that it was a huge issue.
I agree with the teachers on this. Students relying on technology and AI to think for them will ruin their chances of being able to critically think. They may not see this as an issue at the moment, but once they get to adulthood they will quickly realize that maybe they should have thought for themselves while they had the chance. It is scary to think that sooner or later we will have doctors relying on ChatGPT and bank tellers keeping your money “safe” using AI.
Do not take this article as me saying “I hate AI.” I use it daily as a source of quick information, I just think that it should not be used in school by anyone. I do not want to be taught by AI, I do not want to learn using AI and I do not want to rely on people who have made it through school using AI to save my life.
I love how fast AI is developing, but it has the potential to ruin society and stop us from creating. I am very scared for the kids in elementary school because they are already enveloped in vertical video apps like TikTok or YouTube shorts. Their attention spans are shortening at rapid rates. When I talked to students I asked them “Do you think your attention has gotten worse over the past 5 years (when TikTok was released),” and the vast majority of them said it drastically reduced their attention span, and I firmly believe that has led to the urge to use AI.
