AI is a constant presence in today’s technology-driven society. When you open Spotify, the app’s AI DJ is ready to play songs that are suited to your musical preferences. When you open your Chrome browser, Google’s AI Preview will summarize the requested information in bullet points at the top of your page. Apple’s latest iPhones and MacBooks also feature their own version of AI, known as Apple Intelligence, which comes pre-installed on users’ devices.
I have Grammarly installed on my MacBook, and I’ve seen the AI Preview at the top of my search pages. There are many facets of my life where AI’s impact can be felt. However, AI should not be used (or at least not heavily relied upon) in academia, especially at the college level.
This isn’t a call to eliminate all AI or shame people who use it. A student uses AI to summarize a long, wordy article. Is that hurting anyone? Not really. Maybe they don't have enough time to read all of it. An essayist short on time uses Grammarly for their paper or to write an email. That’s fine, too; not much is at stake there. Like these, there are many cases in which AI use is perfectly acceptable.
Of course, people use AI for much more than saving a little time. Some professors even encourage their students to use AI to summarize lengthy articles assigned by them, code for their Computer Science classes, or ask AI to help them with assignments. I maintain that students should not generally use AI unless specifically asked to by their professors.
AI can make learning new material difficult. Although some people use AI as a study tool, I’ve found that nothing works better than studying the materials the professor has given me, making flashcards, or reviewing my notes. There are many fields where it is important to learn the material without AI. A teacher cannot craft a personal AI-generated lesson plan, and a doctor shouldn’t use AI to diagnose their patients. AI limits critical thinking skills that are important to learn for these future careers where using AI is discouraged or forbidden.
Naturally, not everyone is excited to write an essay or read a long article, but college should be a time of personal and academic growth. In college, AI can quickly turn into a crutch that many students depend on to handle the challenging work for them. Whether they are asking AI to help them brainstorm essay topics or write the entire essay for them, students use AI at many stages of the writing process. This reliance on AI reduces the opportunity for learning, as some students become reliant on it as opposed to engaging with the material on their own.
Some students have limited time or struggle with a particular assignment. Many students who have never considered using AI turn to AI as a last resort when work gets difficult. Many colleges, including Skidmore, offer helpful resources that do not require AI, such as office hours, Peer Academic Coaching (PAC), or Writing Centers. Many students and professors are willing to meet shortly before an assignment is due or answer last-minute questions.
Not only does using AI limit opportunities for academic growth, but it also violates academic integrity. AI essays often pull from legitimate, peer-reviewed academic essays without adequately crediting their authors. You not only pass an AI-written essay off as your own work, but you may also accidentally plagiarize a professional.
AI-generated essays and assignments often contain inaccurate information or incorrectly quote important details. This affects the academic integrity of the paper, and professors will not take kindly to you taking the easy way out. It’s also doubly frustrating to rewrite the facts that AI generated incorrectly.
While using AI to complete an assignment may seem convenient when facing a tight deadline, it won’t help you learn how to write an essay or conduct research. What began as a helpful tool has turned into something that college students often depend on instead of doing their own work in college.