It’s just too easy.
“Here’s a picture of my homework, what are the answers?”
“Write me a 500-word essay on Catcher in the Rye that sounds like me (I’m in 8th grade).”
As humans, we build things that allow us to take the path of least resistance. From the wheel to the printing press, we have built things throughout our history that make our lives easier and free up our time.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is different.
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AI is the thing we’ve built that can do everything for us. Some may look at it as the ultimate human invention. Used appropriately, it can be that and more. Used inappropriately, ChatGPT will cause incalculable damage, and we will squander this opportunity.
Nowhere is this crisis more evident than in our classrooms. Cheating is effortless. ChatGPT can do in seconds what it would take a student hours or days to complete. All it takes is a prompt and a few clicks.
It’s not the students’ fault. We’re supposed to provide appropriate guardrails, and instead, we’re welcoming ChatGPT into our classrooms; in many cases, schools are even paying OpenAI to integrate it into their classrooms.
We’re paying to destroy an entire generation’s ability to think critically.
Pure productivity tools are designed to get the job done as quickly as possible, with little regard for the academic experience.
We must be thoughtful and purposeful when introducing young, impressionable students to AI. The data could not be clearer, as much early research shows that generic productivity AI platforms are eroding critical thinking skills. Students are cheating their way through college, and 50 percent of students are using ChatGPT to complete their assignments. All of this, on top of the constant flow of negative headlines regarding AI in schools, the situation is actually much worse.
Furthermore, most AI education platforms on the market currently are tools for teachers, where the stakes are lower and implementation is straightforward. The so-called student-facing platforms are essentially calling ChatGPT with few (if any) learning filters or unabashed cheating platforms that utilize tools like “Homework Solver.”
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A friend, and recent graduate from a top-tier university, admitted that he hasn’t typed an original assignment in two years. For every paper and project, he copied and pasted from ChatGPT.
We need wholesale changes right now, not only in how we deploy AI in our schools, but also in how we assess and measure its effect on young minds.
Thoughtful, purpose-built AI learning platforms that guide students to answers and teach appropriate AI use are the only alternative where students can actually learn.
Most tools on the market targeted towards students lack data to support the effect of their platforms, but at StudyFetch, we’re actively measuring our effectiveness to ensure it works for the students it was built for.
Recently, we conducted a first-of-its-kind usage study of over 1 million student interactions on our system. We stripped out all context, anonymized everything, and focused solely on the intent of each conversation with our AI chatbot, grouping them into eleven distinct categories.
Most learners use the AI tutor to better understand the material, with 40 percent seeking explanations of concepts, 22 percent using it for content summarization, and 10 percent looking for step-by-step guidance. Only a small fraction (2.6 percent) turn to it for direct answers, suggesting that the tool is being used more as a learning aid than a shortcut.
Student-centered AI tools can be built, but there needs to be more well-intentioned innovators on the market pushing the space forward.
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The pressure must come from administrators, educators, policymakers, and parents to drive the market toward responsible classroom solutions.
Additionally, we need to become more agile in our research on the effect of AI on students. Researchers and companies must collaborate in a constant feedback loop of assessment and action. The traditional research model can’t keep up. The technology is evolving too quickly, and we need to adapt now.
Armed with a constant stream of relevant data and industry leaders laser-focused on realizing student potential, there’s nothing we can’t do. We can identify what students enjoy and what they’re good at from an early age and keep them engaged in the learning process. We can provide a customized learning experience for every student and eliminate terms like “neurodivergent.” Every child, everywhere, can excel at something, and with AI, they can discover their unique way to contribute to society and find true fulfillment. It’s all within our grasp if we act now.
Critical thinking and creativity are not lost. Hope is not lost. We can act now and leverage the power of AI to build a future brighter than we can imagine. We owe that to ourselves, to the next generation, and to all those who follow.
Image by Sweeann on Adobe Stock; Asset ID#: 917190692
