Are We Keeping Pace with AI?: Advantages and Drawbacks of AI in Educational Systems

        Artificial Intelligence or AI, a widely popularized tool since its introduction in November of 2022, continues to serve as an amazing resource for just about anything. When used right, it becomes an excellent study partner, brainstormer, or tutor, guiding you to expertise in your given topic. Yet with more frequent incidents of bad AI usage, it begs the question of whether AI is a helping hand, or an interference in today’s educational system.  

        If you're interested in discovering the latest on this issue, take a look at AI’s potential uses, and drawbacks. 

1. Personalized Support for Teachers 

        Great teachers help students reach their full potential. Yet teachers receive minimal actionable feedback to hone their craft. AI presents them with an opportunity to refine their skills by serving as practice students, demonstrating confusion and asking follow-up questions.  Furthermore, AI can provide real-time and post-teaching feedback by identifying questions which triggered the most engagement, and help stay-up-to date with the latest discoveries in their field, leveraging AI to update their curriculum. 

2. Changing the importance scale for learners

        Rob Riech, Stanford political science Professor asks: Is generative AI comparable to the calculator in the classroom, or will it be a more detrimental tool? The calculator, now ubiquitous in middle and high schools, enables students to quickly solve complex questions, and graph relations. Nethertheless, it has not replaced basic mathematical computation from the curriculum, as students know how to perform operations such as long division and exponentiation manually. Unlike calculators, generative AI creates outputs and mimics human reasoning. This creates the question of whether AI would complement or hinder students' learning and foundational skills.

        Nowadays students look to AI to form their thesis, check grammar, or articulate certain tones depending on the subject matter. Percy Liang, director of Stanford HAI center for research on Foundation Models argues that by no longer needing proficiency in writing, AI may raise the bar. ” The models won’t be doing the thinking for the students; rather, students will now have to edit and curate, forcing them to engage deeper than they have previously.” This allows learners to become more creative and ambitious in order to stand out from their peers.

3. Insuring Student’s Understanding

        When understanding literature, students focus on the key-takeaways. But this process can be difficult if given copious amounts of information. AI plays an impressive role in sifting through material, making students absorb key details easier and helping them learn at a quicker pace. AI can be especially helpful as a guide for absent students, easing their stress if sick or dealing with a personal matter. 

        Depending on the subject studied, flashcards and note-taking won’t be enough. With AI advances, learners can input their information to form practice tests, or serve as a tutor: improving the gaps within the student's subject, and shedding light on the missing details. Additionally, AI’s step-by-step solutions can be great practice when approaching the physical sciences.

        According to UCANWEST (University Canada West), AI has the potential to integrate real-world scenarios and complex concepts with virtual and augmented reality. Students can explore historical sites, or conduct virtual science experiments, making it an enjoyable hands-on learning experience which enhances their understanding and retention. Additionally, gamified learning platforms powered  by AI which encompass leaderboards or rewards can take learning from daunting to fun and competitive. 

AI’s effectiveness is clearly shown. But let’s not forget about its drawbacks…

1. Dependence on Technology

        One major concern of AI is the growing dependence it fosters. As the tool is increasingly relied upon for assessments and teachings, it poses a threat of dependence where in the event of a technical failure, teachers can’t guide the class, and students are unable to deliver. Furthermore, it may diminish academics as students grow accustomed to AI systems providing them answers. 

2. Incorrect Responses

          There have been instances where AI has generated incorrect responses due to user input that differentiates from the trained model, insufficient data training to cover all aspects of the topic, or ambiguities in language. The output of false information can affect students' evaluation and test scores, taking a hit at their overall academic performance. 

3. Motivational Crisis

         For many hard working students, the rapid progress of AI can deter future job prospects as it can outcompete the capabilities of a human being, for example, being able to perform surgery, fly airplanes, and drive cars. Nevertheless, this creates a broader existential motivational crisis, where students may find little to no value of their hard-earned skills. 

4. Academic Dishonesty

        AI raises the risk of cheating, as it can be exploited by students, and bypass academic integrity measures. Even AI-detection systems may be outsmarted when faced with student-like AI generative work. Schools and Districts in countries such as America and India have strictly prohibited the use of AI chatbots on their campuses due to this problem. This environment also creates unnecessary stress for teachers who went from having to check grammar and sentence structure, to detecting plagiarism. 

        AI chatbots also extend the propagation of misleading information, as instances of chatbots generating inaccurate responses are increasing. If left unattended, AI generative material may lead to the inadvertent spread of misinformation. Schools and institutions must continuously update their AI tools to avoid these risks. 

5. Teacher Replacement

         Finally, AI raises concern about teacher job replacement. Teachers may fear that they have become obsolete since AI continues to take on more educator roles, automated grading, administrative tasks, as well as  grammar and punctuation. This reduces the need for teachers, and may lead to job reduction or the degradation of the teaching profession.

         While AI can support and enhance educational practices, it's essential to balance its implementation as it can transform education and revolutionize the way we use technology. AI systems also need to be designed with human oversight, and challenges need to be regularly addressed to ensure that AI benefits all stakeholders in the educational system. After all, “Any technology can be both beneficial and harmful. The outcome depends on how we use it.” (EDUCAUSE Review)