By Teagan Bush
A majority of readers are unlikely to be current students, however, I can assume each and every person reading this has gone through some form of education in their lifetime. This article may help put you in the mindset of how current students are reacting to the recent explosion of AI adoption.
I am currently an environmental studies and sustainability major in my sophomore year at MSU. The application of AI was never something I gave much thought to until I was introduced to AI Commons and the creators, MJ and Sarah. I have employed plenty of grammar AI sites, and I recently started experimenting with the infamous ChatGPT. I did, however, know of the confusion and fear that teachers had over this technology. I have spoken with multiple teachers and have seen the restrictions in the syllabi, but I have also heard from people like MJ, Sarah, and Sharif, who all see ChatGPT as a powerful tool for the future. While ChatGPT can generate entire essays or provide math solutions, using it this way often misses its true potential as a tool. The real value of ChatGPT and similar AI lies in their ability to assist with tasks like editing emails or essays, assisting with code, inspiring creative ideas, and much more.
I view ChatGPT as a tool. Similarly to any other tool, your phone, TV, car, or even your fridge, it can be utilized incorrectly and is constantly being innovated. These things improve, evolve, and change to benefit us. But, as with most things, you must implement it responsibly. Similarly, to overheating your phone or not changing the oil in your car, it all comes down to how you treat it. As a student, I leverage AI to create prompts, edit my papers, help me with my resume, and write emails. This is only the tip of the iceberg; AI can do so much more. With a more hands-on career path, I will not rely on AI as much as some of my peers. Currently, I work at a small sustainable farm that does not need the help of AI. These jobs are equally important for society as ones who do need the help of AI. However, I do know that as students and educators, AI can be a resourceful tool to take the next step in our generation.
To learn more about the application of AI as a tool as an educator, student, or anyone interested, MJ and Sarah created AI Commons. This is where you can share your experiences, advice, or questions on how to navigate this explosive change to our education system. Test it out! Take it for a spin if you haven’t already. Never be afraid to share your story!
Teagan Bush is a Student Research Associate at AI Commons, majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability at MSU.