A woman’s face, half hand-drawn, half AI-generated, represents Artificial Intelligence’s utility. AI’s power has grown exponentially, opening opportunities for students to use it – so long as they receive guidance on how. “Whether from a CCSD policy or inside individual classrooms, teachers need to be clear on the consequences for unethical AI usage, but also the allowances for ethical ways to explore it,” Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Meyer wrote. Illustration by Sam Harwell
Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Meyer explores the implications of artificial intelligence in education.
Start with a Strong Hook.
That’s the first thing Artificial Intelligence chatbot ChatGPT recommended when I asked it for advice on how to write an engaging editorial.
How’d I do?
Jokes aside, as I scrolled through the list of 10 tips generated by the free online service, I couldn’t help but agree with every single one of them. From “Know Your Audience” to “Edit Ruthlessly,” each effectively communicated an idea essential to editorial writing, synthesizing it in a simple, effective manner.
Though my research was just a test intended to determine the merits of ChatGPT and AI chatbots, the helpfulness of the platform’s advice shouldn’t be discounted.
“Have a Clear Thesis,” ChatGPT instructs, so here goes: when used ethically and responsibly, use of Artificial Intelligence can benefit Clarke Central High School students.
To start with, AI can expand students’ academic possibilities. As Harvard University’s resources website notes, AI “offers unprecedented opportunities for pedagogical innovation, enabling personalized learning experiences, automating administrative tasks, and facilitating advanced data analysis.”
Even in the Clarke County School District and at CCHS, neither of which have institution-wide AI policies, AI programs can open doors.
“The box is open. We can’t put it back in,” Associate Principal of Instruction Dr. Summer Smith said. “We have to figure out how to work with it and not against it, because it’s not going anywhere and it’s only going to get crazier. A lot of teachers don’t like it, but it can be useful.”
However, much of the debate surrounding AI’s use in education accepts these possibilities – instead, it’s the ethics of the platform that are contentious. As ChatGPT so helpfully reminds me to “Address Counterarguments,” here’s an important one: for all the good it can do, AI can be used to circumvent true learning.
Take Google’s “AI Overviews,” for example. Googling questions like “Who built the pyramids?” and “What’s the difference between ionic and covalent bonds?” will often provide a quick, AI-generated answer at the top of the search bar, but learning is about more than acquiring information (especially when the information is presented without a clear citation).
Students, including those at CCHS, need guidance and training on how to use AI ethically
In a 2024 Study.com survey of 1,000 college-age students, 89% said they used ChatGPT to complete a homework assignment, 48 said they used it on at-home assessments and 53% had the bot write an essay.
“Be Concise and Focused,” ChatGPT reminds me, so here’s the crux of the matter: that level of usage isn’t learning. It goes to show that AI can be used just as much to inhibit learning as it can to enhance it.
But, where does that leave us?
Given both the incredible opportunities and incredible danger AI poses, the future is murky. However, right now, one thing is clear: students, including those at CCHS, need guidance and trainingon how to use AI ethically.
Handling AI’s usage on a person-by-person basis – or banning it entirely – is untenable and likely to breed further misuse. “End on a Call to Action,” ChatGPT concludes, and here’s mine: whether from a CCSD policy or inside individual classrooms, teachers need to be clear on the consequences for unethical AI usage, but also the allowances for ethical ways to explore it.
