In November of 2022, the release of ChatGPT gave people a new and accessible way to find information quickly and efficiently. Since then, AI capabilities have improved, with almost every website, search engine and person on the internet using AI in some way. While many are excited to utilize the tools that new AI offers and are excited about what new innovations it could bring, many worry about potential problems it could cause for students, teachers and education in general.
Since its release, many teachers have been concerned about students using AI tools to cheat on their assignments, leaving them unprepared for the future. To combat this, many plagiarism detection websites started incorporating AI detection tools in order to prevent this from happening. According to EducationWeek, however, only about one in every 10 assignments submitted to these websites contain AI-generated content. While this doesn’t mean that students won’t use AI to cheat, it does indicate that students are not as likely to use AI to as many originally thought.
Even though students using AI to cheat might dissuade educators from using it in classrooms, it can be utilized to improve learning and make education more accessible to many people. According to the Orange County Registrar, students with certain learning disabilities such as dyslexia have benefited from the use of AI text to speech tools, strengthening their overall academic skills and ensuring they are as academically prepared as the rest of their classmates. Furthermore, AI could help students get valuable feedback on their work, provide them with ways to improve in areas they are struggling in and make learning more interesting and approachable no matter the subject.
While there are valid risks and benefits to the use of AI in the classroom, it’s important to remember that AI is a tool, and needs to be used effectively in order for anyone to benefit from it. Due to its diverse set of capabilities, it could create new ways for students to learn and explore new technologies, but could also encourage students to become unmotivated when it comes to completing school work. Because of this, schools, teachers and students need to approach the use of AI in a way that ensures that it is not being misused and actually helps students learn and succeed academically.
