Written by: Agatha Nosova
In 2023, an AI tool called ChatGPT was released. This was followed by other AI sites, such as Generative AI, and lots more. But what impact does this have on students? It has been reported that more than 90% of post-secondary students claim to use AI. Is this also applicable to high school students? Read more to learn teacher and student opinions on the impact of AI on members of the KCI community.
Is AI in schools disruptive or helpful?
When asked about the benefits and drawbacks of AI, Mr Daniels, a KCI staff member, said, “ I think it can be helpful if it's used the right way. It can help students come up with ideas if they are stuck, it can help them better express ideas, or if they are having trouble putting it into words.” He continued to tell The Edge that he thinks that AI is helpful if it is used properly.
Mr Millar, a law and business teacher at KCI, added, “It's both. Again, disruptive is a good word to describe it. Disruptive doesn't always mean bad; it just means we have to change. That's a real thing. I've encountered students who used it to cheat, but that's a problem to overcome.”
Meanwhile, Jade Alcock, a grade nine student at KCI, shared her opinions on AI: “I personally believe it's more disruptive than helpful, because people use it to such an extent that they become incompetent.”
Using AI for Learning Purposes
When asked about whether or not AI should be used in schools for learning class material, Mr. Millar responded, “It should be. I always say for all my classes [business and law], I am knowledgeable of everything I teach, but I am not an expert. There are places online where you could learn far more than I can teach you. ChatGPT just makes that far more efficient.” Mr. Millar added, “We should always be encouraging our students to be learning and especially learning independently. Understanding that there isn't just one source of knowledge. Learning from your peers, learning from people online, learning from teachers, yes, but you can use AI to help you learn.”
Mr. Daniels, on the other hand, spoke about plagiarism and how it is important to quote your sources, even when using AI for help: “I still hold the belief that as long as you're honest about where your information came from, and if ChatGPT or any AI service helped you kind of plan out any form of your assignment. As long as you give credit, I don't really see that being an issue.”
Meanwhile, when asked about whether or not AI is a good study tool to use for school work, Jade shared, “I would say it's a bad study tool. It could be good, but from what I've heard, it gets questions wrong sometimes.”
Harper Bednarski, another student at KCI, then explained her perspective: “I think that as long as humans teach it, you can expand some education using AI. But still let your actual teachers do the main job of teaching you,” she noted. Harper told The Edge how she believes that not having AI would change the way we learn. She said, “I think that it would change the way students work. I don't know if it would change the way we are being taught.”
AI and Teachers
Both Mr. Millar and Mr. Daniels were asked about whether or not they use AI to create assignments and how it may help. Mr. Millar revealed how it helps him in his law class when it comes to finding cases for the class: “Grade 11 law, for example, some of the cases I really like to use as my examples are from the 1980s and before. ChatGPT has helped me find cases that are from the late 2000s and involve things like social media, which is more relevant for my students.”
Mr. Daniels shared a similar idea on how AI helps him create presentation and research topics for his geography class: “Sometimes, if I need case studies, multiple choice, that kind of thing, where I just need one or two more ideas or topics for a presentation for you guys to research, then I'll use AI because it can give me some general ideas about something on that topic.”
Concerns Regarding AI and Student Work
Harper talked about her concern for students when it comes to AI, saying, “My biggest concerns are students missing out on skill-building opportunities such as critical thinking, essay writing, and problem-solving because a machine is thinking for them.”
Mr. Millar and Mr. Daniels also shared their concerns when it comes to AI here at KCI and the way it can affect students: “Just that students will take credit for work that's not theirs, and that will become the new norm. It's just a modern version of plagiarism. That is what worries me because that's something I see a lot,” said a passionate Mr. Daniels.
Mr. Millar spoke more about how people can rely too much on AI, explaining, “People become too dependent on it and the lack of critical thinking, just blindly trusting and only using ChatGPT to do their work and learn material. It's gonna lead somewhere where you're not going to do your own independent research, not going to fact-check ChatGPT, because it does make mistakes in everything it does.”
Final Conclusions
When interviewed, Jade also brought up how she was very passionate about being against AI artwork, and she shared her concerns with The Edge: “I think it's taking away the soul and humanity in every single art piece I've seen. Just thinking about how many people work so hard to get their art seen, especially before social media and phones were a thing. And then all of a sudden, people are just using AI to make art. It freaks me out.” Jade also brought up “the fact that it [AI] uses so much water for each prompt and it's already used so much more water than any plastic bottling factories,” further expressing her concern.
Meanwhile, Mr. Millar shared a bit more about AI and a quote that sticks out to him: “There is a quote from the documentary I showed my business class, called 'Digital Dummies,’ where it talks about whether technology is good or bad. That's a complete misunderstanding. It’s about how we use it and how it makes our lives better.”
Overall, KCI staff and students have a wide range of perspectives on the impact of AI at KCI. Now, a question you can ask yourself: has AI impacted your life?