The Forum

As technology progresses, many college students find themselves using the latest technology to help them study. One of these tools is Artificial Intelligence (AI). There are many AI websites and apps—most notably ChatGPT. While these sites and apps can be used for good, cheating is a huge problem for schools and teachers alike. These new resources can gather and find information at a rate that can be very beneficial. Google’s own AI says:

AI can help students by providing personalized learning experiences, tailoring content to individual needs, offering immediate feedback on their work, identifying knowledge gaps, assisting with complex concepts, and providing adaptive learning pathways, allowing students to progress at their own pace and learn more effectively based on their strengths and

weaknesses.

So, we know AI can helpful, but it can also be used inappropriately. Cheating will always be a problem teachers have to deal with, and as new ways of cheating are developed, so are ways to stop it. Using AI and plagiarism checkers and programs are some of the ways teachers can combat this problem. A negative example of AI use is if a student has a paper written for them or asks for the answer for a test. Students may try to run a paper through what is called an AI humanizer, which takes a paper that is written by AI and puts in a format that looks more

human. Although this is still largely detectable by AI checkers.

The temptation to cheat or copy something can be there for students, but they must remember that the best way to learn something involves doing the work honestly. While they should be doing the work themselves without the help of anything that would get them in trouble, part of being a good student is knowing how and when to effectively use those resources. Research projects, essays, and math and science classes can be very difficult. AI can be used to narrow down and gather information or websites where one can find that information. It can also be used to help simplify a math equation and break it down in easier steps. It must be noted that even with the help of AI, sources would still need to be cited.

In a Ted Talk titled “How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education,” by Sal Khan, creator of Khan

Academy, said, “I think we’re at the cusp of using AI for probably the biggest positive transformation that education has ever seen.” He also states AI has the potential to be the best possible tutor and best possible teaching assistant. In this Ted Talk, Khan references a study done in 1984 titled “The 2 Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One Tutoring,” by Benjamin S. Bloom, University of Chicago and Northwestern University, which shows an almost double increase in students’ overall test scores when they have a one-to-one tutor. The problem up till now has been how to provide each student with an individual tutor.

With AI, however, that is now possible. AI can provide a unique and personalized experience for each student helping them without telling them the direct answer. What is important to remember is that AI is a tool like a hammer. With this tool, students can create or destroy, learn or cheat, but it is up to them to decide how to effectively use and manage it.