As students across the country prepare to return to the classroom, a report from an unusual source warns of the potentially deadly consequences of artificial intelligence.
The Food and Drug Administration’s AI system, “Elsa,” is producing “fabricated information that it confidently incorporates into reports and drug approvals.”
It’s no secret that AI is not perfect. However, in addition to possibly skewing vital drug information, it’s also stripping students like myself of our ability to learn and capacity for success.
Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. What started with ChatGPT’s release in 2022 has quickly led to AI’s presence on virtually every popular app. Users can now access in-depth answers to questions, hyper-customized settings, advanced face filters, and the creation of any image the human mind can imagine.
When I started college in the fall of 2022, I had no concept of services like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini. Mentions of AI were nowhere to be found in my syllabi, rubrics, or assignment instructions.
Fast-forward a few years, and AI policies are now plastered everywhere. On the first day of my junior year, I was shocked when each of my professors issued verbal warnings against the use of AI. Additionally, every syllabus now includes a section outlining the penalties for infringement.
This rapid change has a simple explanation – AI can be dangerous in a university setting. College is designed to teach young adults to develop skills, work hard and think for themselves. Yet students’ reliance on AI actively hinders their progress.
By using AI, students claiming to pursue an education are doing exactly the opposite.
Contrary to popular belief, AI does not equip students for their future careers. I have seen countless memes making jokes like, “Me after I used ChatGPT to pass the bar exam and getting my first client sentenced to death,” or, “Me in 2040 dying on the operating table because my doctor used ChatGPT to pass medical school.”
While these pointed posts are indeed funny, they’re also a sobering reminder that AI can be the worst professor you’ve ever had. You can’t teach, diagnose, program, write or calculate without proper training, and students are forgoing such instruction every day. Simply put, access to AI encourages cheap and ineffectual learning.
In terms of research, AI services are often inaccurate. During a recent group project, my peers suggested we consult ChatGPT before Google, as AI would provide faster answers. However, most of the information ChatGPT offered on our topic was incorrect, and we spent more time fact-checking than if we had originally used Google.
Additionally, artificially developed writing lacks a human tone necessary for relatability and empathy – factors of human interaction that AI will never be able to replicate. Despite this, students are often falsely accused of using AI on their work – an awkward situation I’ve witnessed friends experience. Not only does this insult a student’s honest effort, but also creates tension within student–teacher relationships.
When used to cheat, AI shortcuts undermine the development of a student’s integrity and work ethic. Several of my peers have admitted to cheating on assignments with AI, simply because they “don’t feel like” putting in the required effort. While AI can deepen a person’s understanding of academics, students are robbing themselves of these intangibles by using it dishonestly. AI tools have become thieves of work ethic amongst the collegiate population.
AI services also damage our ability for human connection. For example, a friend of mine frequently seeks out emotional support from AI chats – an extremely unhealthy way of coping with personal problems, as AI tools are incapable of showing empathy or giving accurate situational advice. Technology cannot replace healthy, loving support found in friends, mentors or counselors.
Finally, AI hinders students’ ability to think for themselves – the very thing a college education is designed to teach. Students no longer desire to think for themselves, but instead seek instant, easy solutions to every problem. This not only promotes a culture of laziness and entitlement, as AI is being used to bypass hard work and reap undeserved rewards.
By excessively or misusing using AI in the classroom, young adults who claim to pursue an education are doing just the opposite. They’re normalizing laziness, encouraging cheap learning, damaging relationships, hindering critical thinking skills and undermining integrity.
While artificial intelligence services are convenient, they can create artificial students too. Ultimately, the rapid rise of AI is robbing students of their true potential.
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