Generative AI is a double edged sword. Most people use Gen AI on a daily basis, whether it’s google helping you complete a search, or your smartphone finishing a word before you even start typing it. Generative AI can be greatly beneficial in an educational environment, but also quite destructive. I know for myself there have been times where I spend hours writing a paper, only to get to the editing stage, where I then have to read back everything I just wrote. I end up only skimming my work, instead of thoroughly reading it through. That being said a program like Grammarly tends to help me slow down and actually read my work. This is because I know to have some distrust with AI and its chance of hallucinations. So, instead of rushing through my work and handing in something that isn’t polished, AI helps me to slow down and really benefits my education. On the flip side there is the temptation to let something like ChatGPT write an entire essay for you. I know there have been times where I have been so overwhelmed with school work and life, it just seems easier to let AI do a project for me to save all the hours of work. This is where I believe AI becomes an issue, when it is no longer used as a tool, but is used as a replacement for your brain. AI can be great for education, but only if its not replacing the work and learning, but rather enhancing it.
Generative AI has quite the major limitation. As AI cannot create new things, rather it pulls from a database of pre-existing information. This means there is a lot of room for error and plagiarism, and without proper education on the subjects you are using AI for you may be using false information without realizing. This is why AI needs to used as a tool rather than a replacement. AI also uses a lot of power, which in a world where the environment isn’t doing too hot, isn’t super beneficial. This especially has an impact on places that don’t use clean energy, which only worsens our climate crisis.
AI LINKS: https://www.grammarly.com https://openai.com/chatgpt/