I have never been afraid to speak out against the use of artificial intelligence. In fact, I find it disgusting that sectors of society are throwing out old-fashioned human thought for stale, artificial nonsense.
In the past, I’ve felt my thinking made me a stickler, siding with professors in believing that AI should be eliminated from the classroom. This year however, I’ve realized that not only do some of my peers lean more on AI than their human classmates, but some educators appear to have turned their backs on me as well.
Grand Valley State University’s AI policy leaves responsible usage of the technology up to professors, while acknowledging students should be putting time into and learning from their homework. In high school and during my freshman year of college, most of my instructors prohibited the use of AI. Peer reviews, assignments and class discussion posts seemed to have depth and a sense of thoughtfulness that only humans could have, however, it seems those days are over. More of my syllabi this year include the troubling phrase, “AI use is permitted with proper citation.”
That sentence is an oxymoron. To create content, AI relies on scraped artwork and writing pulled from across the internet, usually without credit. The results are remixed scraps, stolen fragments passed off as original. Generated text can also be hard to decipher, making it difficult to gather evidence of plagiarism. AI does not possess the ability to critically think, and can’t filter truth from fiction. The human brain will beat AI every time in that regard. The technology also doesn’t possess the ability to have any sort of reflective judgement, something vital for class assignments.
The majority of my professors have warned about the negative effects of AI while simultaneously permitting its use in their classrooms. For example, one of my professors allows AI solely for brainstorming, warning in the syllabus that the technology hurts independent thinking and creativity. Still, all but one of my professors permit AI in some way. My sister, a freshman at GVSU, said she thinks one of her professors has even used generated images on their lecture slides.
When educators rely on AI for their own work, it sends the message that it’s okay for students to take convenient shortcuts as well. It undermines the human authenticity I crave, especially from people with doctorates in their fields. Why spend years upon years pursuing a career in education if a machine is going to do your work?
I will say, it seems some professors don’t necessarily agree with AI but feel pressured to allow it in the classroom. With so many students already using the technology, banning it must seem impossible. As time goes on, I know I’ll probably have to accept the integration of AI into society, but it makes me scared for the future. I feel like we’re giving up on society filled with humanity, one shortcut at a time.
