Written by Grainne Devitt, TY
Is AI the future of education? Is it the downfall? Is AI helping or hindering our education? With a sudden surge of platforms, we are all wondering the same thing.
There are many different forms of AI. When we think of AI, we mostly think of robots or websites that automatically generate answers, such as ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is a website which anyone can use to ask questions and receive instant answers. It can be used to write essays and answer questions in a natural human way. This has become a major concern for teachers, as students are no longer researching or doing their own work. But on the other hand, it has become an amazing tool for students to help with their workload. In many ways, it can be very helpful.
For example, text-to-speech AI helps deaf students stay in school longer and allows more deaf people than ever to receive University degrees. Another example is spelling and grammar AI, which helps people with dyslexia to boost their confidence and helps them to type up class notes or take exams.
These are different forms of AI but they are an important factor that people with disabilities use everyday in school to help them achieve their goals.
Unfortunately, AI is also hindering education. As much as it is amazing for us students, it’s not exactly enhancing our learning if we are not using it to do so. For example, when we ask AI our homework questions and receive instant results that we then copy word for word, we’re learning nothing. It may be usefu,l but it is much better to do your own work and research answers yourself.
However, due to AI rewording answers to questions every time, it is almost impossible for teachers to know if a student is doing their work themselves or not. This poses a question for the future - if students believe AI can answer all of their questions and give them answers to any possible interview questions, will this affect their decision making in terms of their education going forward?
I’m sure that in time, a solution to this issue of students copying AI answers word for word will come, just like plagiarism technology was implemented in google classroom assignments. However, for now, teachers will just have to trust their students enough to do their own homework and students will have to be responsible enough to avoid AI generated answers. I know it’s useful for all students to use these services but it won’t help you in the long run, so try your best to push through and work independently!
Grainne Devitt, TY