For our April Writer’s Q&A, typewriter06 (Canada) asked the following:
When you’re in the middle...
As we gear up for the start of a new school year, we face the question of how incoming students, now and in years to come, will use AI. Those in opposition to AI use in schools cite concerns surrounding plagiarism and independence, whereas supporters point to arguments about the changing future and merits of students’ access to all available resources.
So, what directions might students and educators take for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond? Below, I share an overview of AI uses, their ethical implications, existing detection tools, and my perspective as a current high school student concerned about these issues.
How Can AI Be Used in Classrooms?
Students can use AI in two primary ways: entirely generating work to claim as their own, or to plan their own work.
There are many ways we can support students to achieve the latter use case. For example, according to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, executive functioning involves “the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.” Some children grow up with impaired executive functioning because of disorders like ADHD or exposure to early childhood trauma. For students who struggle in this department, AI can help them create effective schedules, summarize information for easy use, and outline materials.
So, although we often speak about AI use in school in the context of cheating, it can be used in a way that is appropriate and beneficial to academically honest students. I previously wrote about many ways students can prompt AI tools to support their own authentic creative writing, further demonstrating this point.
But at the same time, it’s important to realize that AI chatbots like ChatGPT can analyze texts and produce responses ranging from paragraph length to an essay, and some students enjoy using ChatGPT because it spares them from doing any work outside of prompting AI and polishing the output. This usage conflicts with many educators’ visions of how a classroom should operate, so we must also think about ethics as we head into the new school year.
Ethics of AI Use in School
As WtW’s teen AI Liaison, I feel that to become decent communicators and consumers of media by the time they reach young adulthood, students should become accustomed to reading and writing without assistance.
In the world of social media, we have so many items marketed to us on a daily basis. Being able to rhetorically analyze the ads you’re exposed to can stop consumers from succumbing to the pressure to stay on trend. Media literacy allows people to consume media critically and create media consciously. It’s emphasized in civics and humanities courses, so using AI for reading and writing analyses means that students would miss essential information.
This is particularly important because high schoolers today struggle with media literacy. The fast-paced way that we share information (or misinformation) only makes the need for media-literate youth greater–especially post-pandemic, when reading scores are plummeting.
What’s more, AI use can feel unfair to students who do take the time to analyze assignments and craft their own responses. Watching someone who got the assignment done in 10 minutes get the same score as you adds a level of frustration and competitiveness to the classroom.
Many educators agree, and are particularly concerned about plagiarism. On the other hand, some teachers aren’t entirely opposed; at the college level, some educators are making AI use a part of the classroom experience. Other educators use AI for grading or student support. An overarching theme is that educators are aware of the threat AI poses to traditional learning and academic integrity, but if it cannot be entirely eliminated, they are trying to adapt.
One example of AI that seeks to achieve this middle-ground is Khanmingo, an AI teaching assistant provided by Khan Academy, an esteemed educational non-profit with 137 million users, 6 million of them teachers. Khanmingo helps teachers create lesson plans, discussion questions, and more. Almost all of what Khanmingo does is intended for time outside of the classroom, with heavy emphasis on how teachers can use AI for their convenience, to help their classrooms move faster and complement traditional learning.
It’s worth noting that plagiarism and cheating are sometimes treated much more seriously at the college and university level than in high school. That includes unauthorized AI use in many schools. Although, in my high school, plagiarism can earn you a 0 on an assignment or a phone call home, in college or university, plagiarism can earn you suspension or expulsion and a tarnished record that can follow you outside of the institution.
Making a habit out of using AI for your schoolwork in high school may seem like a good idea, the risk will not be worth the reward. Just like how we learn to do basic arithmetic before we start using calculators, students should aim to obtain the skills to read and write now, for all the times down the road that they will need it.
How Accurate Are AI Detection Softwares?
AI-generated writing is known for being overly formulaic, relying on certain words and phrases. But there can be a gray area between what seems to be and is AI writing. AI detection software can incorrectly flag original writing as being AI-generated, for example, putting students at risk of being punished for something they didn’t do. It also puts teachers at risk of falsely accusing students while possibly overlooking someone else’s actual AI use.
For example, Louise Stivers, a student at UC Davis, claims to have been falsely accused of using AI. The linked report follows her throughout her application process to law schools.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, approaching your teacher directly may be a way to address the issue of false AI accusations, especially if they are already familiar with your writing style and analytical skills. But, with cases like Louise Stivers, arguing against the allegation doesn’t always mean that it is resolved.
My Perspective
Like many other issues regarding AI, there is the question of how far is too far. With AI in school, it seems that the answer is left in the hands of educators and superintendents. In the meantime, students use AI with or without teachers’ sign-off.
As a current high school student, I feel that AI use in schools should be mostly drawn back because critical thinking is essential. A generation of students who rely on machinery to interact critically with anything seems like a slippery slope. But, that doesn’t mean that AI has no place in learning or planning at all. Aside from executive functioning assistance, some teachers are experimenting by having students fine-tune AI-generated writing or learn how to better prompt AI chatbots.
In the right context, these activities can still engage a student's communication and analysis skills. With the right leadership, AI use in schools can be handled appropriately, and it’s critical we work together to ensure such handling, because AI isn’t going anywhere. The decisions that schools and students make now could set a precedent for years to come.
