The use of Artificial Intelligence in schools has become very controversial in education. On one hand, teachers fear the increase in plagiarism that has come from new AI sites, like ChatGPT. Oftentimes, teachers find or suspect that students have used AI sites to complete full assignments, instead of doing it themselves.
On the other hand, some students use AI sites as a way to simply research, as they would use any other search engine. AI is sometimes inaccurate, but it can be a quick and easy way to find facts and elaborate on them.
Some students also use AI as a way to escape loneliness, oftentimes if they face bullying in school. AI can carry full conversations and often serve as a friend to some students. It can even refer teenagers to self help hotlines and encourage them to get the help they need. AI is often non-confrontational and encourages positivity.
However, according to a survey, 68 percent of middle/high school students have used AI on assignments or exams. Whether any AI use on an assignment should be considered cheating is contested, but many students use it regardless.
The term artificial intelligence was originally coined in 1956, at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. This was a conference whose goals included helping machines use language, solve problems, and improve themselves.
AI was introduced in schools a few years later, during the 1960’s. Its introduction came with the development of early intelligent tutoring systems. Chat GPT, which is what most students seem to use today, was released in 2022.
The aftermath of the COVID pandemic seems to have come with concerns of learning and social deficiencies, and an overall decrease in testing scores. Along with this has come an increased reliance on artificial intelligence.
Overall, AI is a thing of the future, and must be adapted to, even in schools.