The debate of whether or not AI is going to take over was once seen as a lighthearted commentary on the rising dependency on technology. However, it’s now seen as a very real possibility as more and more professions are under threat. Although teachers will (hopefully) never be replaced, the education sector is one of those seeing the effects.
There are numerous AI platforms advertised specifically as study aids. Grammarly, for example, is a popular site that uses AI to check essays for grammar and spelling errors. ChatGPT can be used to plan essays, generate research and give constructive criticism. There are also various AI platforms targeted towards teachers to help plan lessons. AI has no limits to what it can do, and what it can be used for. The possibilities are endless; but when does a helpful tool turn into a harmful threat?
AI’s Impacts on Accuracy…
Just a few years ago it would take hours, or even days, to plan and research for an essay; you’d have to endlessly search every corner of the internet for the information you need, and decide how and where to include that in your work. After you’ve spent ages writing it, you’d have to then read it through over and over again to check for spelling and grammar mistakes and check the marking scheme to make sure it’s good enough. Now with AI, you can essentially do the whole thing for you in minutes. ChatGPT will give you the answers you need, plan it all out and compare it against any marking scheme with constructive criticism. If you’re feeling brave you can get it to do the work for you; this would be risky, though, as AI is easy to detect when reading a piece of writing and you’d likely get a bad mark if you tried to turn in an AI-written assignment, or even risk further punishment; teachers consider it cheating.
This is incredibly helpful, especially when on a tight time schedule. However, one of AI’s biggest flaws is its inaccuracies in the information it generates. A study by the BBC found that AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Copilot were incorrectly summarising news stories when asked to, by including false information and harmful language. For example, ChatGPT reported that Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon were still in office after they’d left and misquoted a report on the Middle East by using misplaced descriptive language about Israel and Iran. The study also found that the AI platforms were unable to correctly distinguish the difference between opinion pieces and factual pieces. The inclusion of inaccurate information in a piece of work could lead to many consequences; such as landing a student a bad grade, but could also lead to further harm. There have been instances of AI showing racial and gender bias and reporting misinformation in a real-world situation poses many risks. Teachers teaching their pupils incorrect or biased information is also harmful. It should be a teacher’s responsibility to fact-check any information they teach, especially if generated using AI.
AI’s Impacts on Critical Thinking Skills…
Students resorting to AI to help with their work will also damage their motivation to learn by themselves, which can ultimately lead to failing grades when AI isn’t an option. For example, having ChatGPT would be a godsend for a student doing difficult science homework; simply take a photo of it and AI will do all the hard work. But what happens to the student during an exam when they have to think of the answer themselves? Numerous teachers have reported that AI is damaging their students’ critical thinking skills and independence in learning. A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s media lab found that ChatGPT users had low brain engagement and “consistently underperformed at neutral, linguistic and behavioral levels.” When students as young as primary school age are beginning to have access to AI, it creates potential for future effects on their study skills and knowledge.
The Future of AI in Education…
Though the many negative effects of AI in the education sector are publicly known, it’s still being promoted as something we should all integrate into our daily lives. Last year, the British government invested £2.9 billion into AI companies, including education tools. £4 million was invested in tools to help teachers, with the aim of giving them more time to help students. The government’s project will supposedly create teaching resources, assist with routine school admin and mark work. Though the project is still being developed to ensure it’s accurate and high-quality, it’s still a topic that everyone has a different opinion on.
It’s clear that AI is here to stay, whether we like it or not. The easiest way to navigate a world becoming increasingly AI-focused is to hold it at arms length. A student’s time in the education system is arguably the most formative time of their life, so it’s their responsibility to decide how dependent they become on it and to use it for the right reasons. AI is incredible for tasks such as organising notes and planning essays, but anything generated should be taken with a pinch of salt and fact-checked. It would be a waste of a powerful resource to completely denounce something that could be so helpful, but it’s important to not become reliant on it. Similarly, any platform developed to help teachers could potentially make a massive difference on how teaching works; but use it for the right reasons. AI is a work in progress, and doesn’t actually have the answer to everything.
