Artificial intelligence is a field of computer science that uses software and technology to complete tasks that humans would typically do. In recent years generative ai programs and apps have become much more popular, with CollegeBoard estimating that 84% of high school students are using it.
Artificial intelligence has continued to evolve to the point where it is able to answer questions, explain concepts, write and edit various forms of text, and helps to brainstorm ideas. When used properly, A.I. is an extremely useful tool that helps people in different aspects of work. On the other hand, when used improperly, it can be a handicap on people. High school students are a prime example of this as they use it on homework assignments, essays, and even on tests. It is a product of laziness and self-doubt that creates a dependence, taking the creative nature away from developing students. The continuance of its misuse could potentially lead to generations of people that aren’t able to think for themselves.
The usage of artificial intelligence in high school has its ups and downs, on one hand it can help with assignments and studying. On the other hand it can also lead to perpetual laziness that discourages students from forming their own thoughts and completing work on their own, to instead copy and paste from an ai generated prompt. A proper use of ai would be to use it as a learning tool instead of a problem solver. For instance, high schoolers can use AI as a tool to perform practice problems or demonstrations on a simulation while still carrying out their own analysis and thinking. If high schoolers use AI as a replacement in high school, they will never be able to gain skills like problem-solving or thinking on their own. “A.I. is a tool that can be used for certain tasks, like simulations and simple tasks that do not impair the critical thinking ability of the user. Using AI for all your work has no benefit for anyone.” This is stated by Nick Larish, a Grayslake North student.
The unhealthy use of A.I. has begun coming to light as people are realizing that its misuse can in fact be a problem. At an increasing rate, students are starting to realize some of the negatives that come along with over-reliance on artificial intelligence to help with schoolwork. This increasing reliance by students on this emerging technological innovation has raised a concern among teachers on whether students are compromising learning, as well as future learning, for ease.“Yes, I believe that AI use, to some extent, reduces creativity and problem-solving abilities. When I use AI to help me think, I don’t really work on developing my ideas and solving problems myself. It may seem easy, but it’s making learning harder,” Kyle Case
