Artificial Intelligence is a facet of technology that never seems to leave us alone; in fact, it only worms its way into deeper aspects of our lives. Schools like Franklin High School are not exempt from this. With the rise of technology use in schools, it was only a matter of time until AI became a part of that culture.
The idea of AI at a hypothetical level is described as being computer systems capable of performing complex tasks that could previously be done only using human reasoning and decision-making. However, one distinction must be made clear: the “AI” that everyday people currently use does not fit that definition.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are the most widespread type of “AI” on the market today. LLMs are under the category of Machine Learning—a subset of AI—and these machines are given a large amount of data to analyze. Through this analysis, it “learns patterns and rules of language,” as said by the University of Arizona. Examples of this kind of AI would be ChatGPT and Meta AI.
When asked questions about certain topics, the LLM will provide information that is most likely to satisfy the inquirer. Since these LLMs are fed all kinds of data—either potentially true or factually false, and don’t have the capability of giving objective results—the reliability of it fluctuates.
Nonetheless, the concept of a machine that offers extra help with information gathering and brainstorming does not sound bad on paper to many teachers (at least, to those who would actually agree with it being used at all).
“I think [AI] is a wonderful tool,” said Marina Hendrickson, the French teacher at FHS. “It’s there in our life [and] it’s here to stay, so we need to embrace it.”
The growth of AI has been so exponential that, according to Hendrickson, who has spoken to the district on the topic, there are talks of implementing a new AI policy that allows for it to be used in FHS for ninth through 12th grades, so long as proper use is taught and executed correctly.
The true ins and outs of AI have yet to be fully understood, and it leads to lots of confusion on how it works, where the information was pulled from, and how to actually use AI in a meaningful way. “I would like to learn more [about AI],” said Ginny Flaherty, the psychology teacher at FHS.
For those in and out of the classroom, AI has its own set of benefits for each person’s needs, and is especially helpful in fields that require constant knowledge seeking. Articles written by universities—Rowan University and Colorado State University, respectively—provide lists of advantages AI has for both average people and workers who consistently have busy schedules and lack the time to do their own investigation.
Though numerous teachers share the sentiment that AI is a useful resource for both them and students alike, there are still a myriad of concerns that coincide with its integration into an educational context. Some teachers have begun noticing that some students’ work is not their own and that they have used AI to do their work for them.
“I have multiple students use AI for [online writing assignments],” Alexandro Montes, a Sophomore English teacher, remarked. “Even for [hand] written assignments, people would use AI and write it down on their paper.”
In spite of several students and teachers supporting AI or using it themselves, not everyone thinks that way. There is pushback against the idea of utilizing AI from both students and teachers. Even those who use AI realize the more severe problems that may arise with it.
“It’s not something that’s going to be helpful for students, especially developing… problem-solving skills,” stated James Duran, an English teacher who said he is very against the use of AI in schools.
Teachers and students who both agree and disagree with AI being used in school by the former and latter have come to a universal consensus that AI is not beneficial for cognitive growth. A study done by MIT’s Media Lab substantiates the claim that AI is damaging cognitive growth in habitual users.
Data collected from the study suggests that the group of students who only used AI to do their thinking left them with less brainwave activity and less cognitive function in key areas of the brain in general. The effects of the reliance on AI were noticeably poor and persisted even after the use stopped.
Not only does AI have an impact on humans, but it also affects the environment, as described by Alexis Ortega, the Visual Arts Department Chair at FHS.
“There are servers that [AI] has to go to… and they have to build places for these servers to go,” explained Ortega. “The servers overheat, and they need to use a lot of energy to cool them down.”
An article republished by Planet Detroit, which was originally written by The Conversation, provides various pieces of data found from university researchers, experts who study the effect climate change and surveys of workers in the tech industry support the idea that AI harming the planet by taking already scarce resources to keep themselves running has become more of an issue the longer AI has been accepted into working spaces.
Even so, the environmental damages of AI are not a thought that crosses many people’s minds, especially when there is work to be done.
AI misuse is a common occurrence; a multitude of teachers have corroborated that, but reasons for their incorrect usage vary from student to student.
“I use it for math,” said a FHS student who wished to remain anonymous.“Because, like, sometimes, I just really don’t get it because it’s pretty hard.”
Some claim it to be from a lack of understanding of the subject material, and other students say it’s because of their own laziness.
“Forty or fifty percent [of AI usage was] because I didn’t know it. But, also I wouldn’t give the effort to do [the work],” another anonymous FHS student stated.
AI is a tool to some—a tool that, for better or worse, people will always find a reason to use—and others see it as a harmful alternative to ourselves. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on who you ask—AI is here to stay and, according to estimates from California Miramar University and MIT Sloan, AI will advance and become something more powerful than what it is now. Whether that power be used for the greater good or end up being detrimental to society remains to be seen.
“I think AI is a useful tool of technology,” said Andres Prado (10). “But it’s not always the answer to every problem you have.”