In several of my classes this past semester, the use of artificial intelligence has been encouraged, if not required. As a student majoring in English and secondary education, I do not see a place for AI in my coursework, and I have spoken with several peers who are frustrated that their professors are requiring them to use AI to complete assignments.
Contrary to a widespread belief among our professors and administration, many students do not want to use AI, and encouraging or requiring us to do so only furthers dependence and a lack of original thinking. My advice for my peers: push back.
I will admit that I have used AI in the past. It’s easy, and it’s convenient. I will also admit that I have listened to my professors when they’ve required me to use AI in classes, as I’m not sure how to refuse.
Earlier this semester, I had an assignment requiring me to talk to ChatGPT and character.ai to learn how the AI platforms respond to adolescent issues and see what kinds of advice they offer. While I can see the benefit of doing this once or twice, the assignment was within a unit in which our class spent a week discussing generative AI.
Braver than I, one of my classmates reached out to our professor and said she would not complete the assignment due to the ethical issues of using AI in class. Caroline Johnson, a sophomore secondary education and English major, told The Tiger in an interview that she first attempted to complete it using AI, but ultimately just “felt gross” about the whole thing.
Eventually, she “wrote out a composition on the particular issues (she) had with AI.” The professor responded very politely to Johnson, offering an alternative assignment to complete without using AI.
When professors require students to use AI in the classroom, it can lead to an overall dependence on AI. I have experienced this firsthand. In previous years, I would take shortcuts and use AI to assist me with some of my work, which led me to become reliant on it and unable to do the work myself. In a study done by scientists and reported on in ScienceDirect, “frequent reliance on AI may lead to cognitive exhaustion, which in turn impairs students’ capacity for reflective and evaluative thinking.”
If some or most professors require AI use, many students will be affected and become reliant on it. Push back, tell your professors that you refuse to use AI in classes, and aside from the ecological ramifications, you can save yourself from falling victim to AI dependence.
Lauren Douda is a sophomore English and secondary education major from Lexington, South Carolina. Lauren can be reached at [email protected].
