In the past couple of years, artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. Now, AI powers a wide range of tools, from language platforms such as Duolingo to online editing tools such as Grammarly. As a result, teachers have had to adapt to students’ broadening digital reach. Likewise, it’s been necessary for students to find the right balance between physical and online learning tools. While the dawn of the internet isn’t exactly recent, teachers and students need to find ways to work ethically with AI; otherwise, they will quickly find themselves left behind in the newest digital revolution.
AI tools are undoubtedly convenient. Instead of scheduling a time to meet with a teacher, digital learning tools can be used whenever and wherever: late-night cramming, in-transit homework, and other situations where teachers are unavailable. The benefit of AI is that it offers concise advice that is often easy to understand and apply quickly. However, AI bots cannot always grasp the complexity of certain situations and can sometimes be too direct. Not every topic can be expressed in a simple one-sentence answer. Emotions such as love, grief, hatred, jealousy, guilt, and pride are all feelings that need to be grappled with, and not simply explained. AI sees the world as a computer, built out of 1s and 0s, and despite its best efforts, does not have a relatable human element nor human emotional processing capabilities. AI can express canned forms of sympathy but not empathy. Sympathy is feeling pity or sorrow for someone else’s misfortune, while empathy is the ability to understand and share their feelings and experiences. (Ironically, that definition was generated by AI.)
Physical learning tools can be very helpful in the classroom. According to Upper School Director of Curriculum and Academics, Ms. Tory Virchow, physical learning tools are an integral part of the learning process and can’t be replaced by AI. She said, “When you are learning a new skill, having the physical muscle memory is very important.” The physical aspect of learning is one that can’t be ignored or replaced. It is that memory that allows people to retain information and use it again, instead of memorizing an AI-generated answer.
School is not only a place for academics; it is a place to learn social skills. While there isn’t a How to Talk to People 101 course at Potomac, students of all ages learn about human interaction at school. 12th-grader Jessica Raman remarked that “a big part of, say, kindergarten is not just that you’re learning basic addition and spelling; it’s that you’re interacting with your peers, you’re interacting with your teachers, you’re learning how to make friends, you’re learning how to talk to people. And even if AI could teach you the same addition and the same spelling, it would take away the more social part of school.” Interacting with people at school teaches children and adolescents about respect, kindness, honesty, and other things that make humans human.
AI can also shortcut a learning process for students. Ms. Becca Brooks, Upper School Library Research and Innovation Specialist, commented, “When students use AI to either replace some of that learning process or to shortcut some of the work, that, if they were to have done it, would demonstrate that they have proficiency in something, it’s not beneficial. They’re skipping learning on their own.” She later went on to express both the need for students to generate their own work, but also the benefits of AI, especially in research.
Overall, we must be careful with AI, as it can be a slippery slope. AI can easily be used unethically, either for research that was supposed to be manually done, writing a report or essay, or any other assignment. Using AI requires both integrity and trust. When work is turned in that was not produced by a student, it gives the teacher an unrealistic expectation of the student’s abilities. Using an example from Ms. Virchow: if a pre-med student cheats on a paper or exam, that won’t help them in the field. They can’t just type in a question to ChatGPT in the middle of a surgery. In addition, we must be skeptical of AI and what it is trained on. AI takes information from the entire internet, from university studies to conspiracy theorist sites. The information generated by AI can’t fully be trusted, especially if it is unknown or unclear where the information comes from, so students must take the information from AI with a grain of salt in many cases.
On the other hand, human-to-human interaction has its pros and cons for students. While an app will tell students the answer to any given math question, a teacher can help students understand why it is correct, improving retention and processing. Teachers add a human element to learning, bringing their own experiences to the table and making it more enjoyable and helpful for students. However, teachers are often less “convenient” than AI tools. Meetings are sometimes difficult to schedule, and feedback isn’t always immediate. Students can’t call teachers at midnight asking for help on homework. Additionally, teachers aren’t able to scan the entire internet in a minute, giving platforms like ChatGPT the edge in situations such as finding research sources and fact-checking.
According to Ms. Virchow, Potomac is headed in the right direction with AI. She remarked that she is “excited that our students are talking about [AI]. I think it’s amazing that we have an AI working group of students who want to have conversations and who want to meet with then the faculty AI group. It’s pretty incredible.” Ms. Virchow said that Potomac was and still is “ahead of the curve” of other schools across the country regarding the use of AI. The big question regarding AI is if (and how) it should be incorporated into schools. The truth is, the ability of AI will only increase with time. Schools can ignore it and pretend it’s not there, but truthfully, it’s not going to go away. If schools don’t adapt, they are likely to be left behind.
Both types of resources are useful for students, but determining the right one in a given situation can be challenging. Students and teachers must accept the broadening of academic tools and the importance of human interaction in education. The question is: what is the right balance between old and new, and how can it be effectively implemented in schools?
