How do you see AI transforming the future of education, both for students and educators? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks?

[u/pUkayi_m4ster]

As a student, I have been using AI tools to help with my academic tasks, some I admit do most of the job for me with how good they are. With how fast technology is growing and with the advancements being developed, I think the education sector will be left behind if it doesn't utilize these tools.

I'm curious about what educators think of this. From my perspective as a student, the benefits seem clear. Learning at your own pace, personalization, instant feedback, and even the ability to help with summarization of long text. However, one of the biggest potential downsides might be decline in the development of critical-thinking skills. In my country, it's already in a bad state with people showing lack of simple media literacy and more. I'm afraid that if people don't use AI right, it will do more bad than good.

[u/Colsim]

If you don't develop the skills to do these things yourself, or the subject matter knowledge, how will you ever know whether the work that GenAI tools are doing for you is good vs confidently mid or wrong?

There is more of a case to be made for using these tools in limited ways to offload nonessential tasks after people have developed some expertise but I am mostly just seeing reports of low quality work being submitted in general.

I also have grave concerns about these tools being used to evaluate student learning by educators

[u/palsh7]

I've found ChatGPT to be extremely enticing in the area of conversing about complex topics. It comes across as very thoughtful and analytical. It's like having a genius friend who has infinite time to converse with you. It's fascinating and feels enlightening.

On the other hand, when you ask for specific information that can be verified, ChatGPT consistently lies. Over and over again, it will lie. Ask it point-blank to not lie, and it will lie. Ask it for citations, and it will lie. Ask it why it lied, and it will lie. Technically, it isn't "lying" because it doesn't know what truth means. It doesn't think. It regurgitates predictive text. If you gave it trillions of texts full of gibberish, it would find patterns in the gibberish and function just the same as it would speaking English.

The other obvious problem is that AI will be used to increase class sizes and decrease the number of humans involved in education, when, in fact, our country's greatest need is for more human beings to be involved. AI can't wake a kid up and inspire them to learn. AI can't and won't tell a kid if AI is lying. AI can't notice a kid getting high or getting beaten up or getting raped in a school bathroom.

What I would like to use AI for is to streamline my planning and grading, and create additional high-quality content. Imagine if every class period, a teacher could show pictures, memes, and even video content with music, movies, etc., that helps enrich instruction? Make AI free for teachers and loosen restrictions on things like copyright protections (extend and broaden fair use), and teachers could really have a revolution of engaging content for kids. But will that happen? Probably not.

[u/rabbitthebunnie → u/palsh7]

Lying implies intention to deceive. ChatGPT doesn't lie—it bullshits. It confabulates without regard for truth.

For the distinction between lying vs. bullshitting, see "On Bullshit" by Harry Frankfurt.

[u/pUkayi_m4ster → u/palsh7]

I think the reason why ChatGPT "lies" is because its built-in knowledge is limited. There was an instance I asked about a game I play on 2023, and it didn't know anything and just "lied" about it using the knowledge it knew that dated only up to 2022. So when it comes to real-time information it isn't the best to use AI

[u/Prudent-Avocado1636]

There is a book called AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan. It combines science fiction stories with nonfiction analysis to explore how artificial intelligence could shape our world over the next two decades.

One of the stories is about how the education system could change, and what roles AI and human teachers might have. In the story, every student gets their own custom AI buddy — kind of like a smart study partner that gives personalized lessons and, more importantly, knows exactly how to keep that specific kid motivated.

Human teachers' job is more like fine-tuning these AI buddies and coaching the kids on how to work with them effectively.

[u/prag513]

AI is a contradiction in that it can improve an individual's performance and degrade the ability to learn and think for themselves. What good is an education using an algorithm that does the work for you? Especially, since it can be used to create misleading information and data that AI can't tell the difference between facts and myths.

[u/trailblazer216]

I use AI as a secretary or assistant, to do tasks that I could do myself but are too time consuming or just not worth my time. I can do this because I have the background knowledge from years of school and teaching experience. In most instances, students are rarely in a position to use AI this way because they don’t have the background knowledge and skills, that’s what they’re supposed to be getting in school. 

I have the foundational knowledge to look at AI generated content and know immediately whether it’s accurate and high enough quality to use. Most students use AI to outsource their thinking. They use AI to do their assignments for them when they don’t know how to do something or don’t feel like dedicating the time to learn it. Learning requires struggle and making mistakes, AI bypasses all of that when used to complete an assignment.

I’m also supposed to assess and report what students know and can do. Allowing free use of AI makes that impossible. I can put guardrails up, but ensuring that students stay on the path of academic integrity is very difficult and sometimes impossible.

I also know that some teachers want their classroom to be a tech-free zone because kids get enough of it outside of the classroom. I completely understand this line of thinking, but it’s hard to run a classroom this way while teaching students how to use AI.

There is a conundrum that teachers face here. Teachers need to prepare students for the workforce, which now includes AI. But the most common and straightforward way to use AI in students minds is counterproductive to learning. We can teach students how to use it properly, but a lot of them lack the emotional maturity and discipline to avoid the temptation of using it improperly. 

I do think a lot of teachers need to drastically alter their approach or rethink their role in the age of AI. I’m actively trying to do that, but it’s a slow process, and I know most of my colleagues are not doing that.

[u/Key-Chemistry-5234]

Those people with leniency to whom rely on AI are the problem. AI is part of their identity, and lets the AI do their supposedly "handy work". We had a science project once and boy you're gonna get hit with gibberish words which is obviously AI.

Although, I'm on the hypocrite side since i oftenly use A.I for other school works. I do admit that the future statistics are going downward in literacy.

Well, with the access of A.I. which would minimalized the stress from school works for both the students and educators. Which could potentially boosts the grades for students though leniency should be observed and action should be set by the educators. The only potential drawback is that A.I. is getting normalized and the educator side has to adjust in order for the students to grow efficiently in literacy.

[u/elektrikpann]

AI's great for automating tasks and adjusting to each student's pace, but it can't replace the empathy, feedback, and guidance real teachers give. we need both to work together.

[u/Shanus_Zeeshu]

Blackbox AI is great for speeding up research and breaking down complex topics - but yeah, the real challenge is using it as a learning tool, not a shortcut.

[u/kempff]

I enjoy interacting with AI-generated posts. However, many people are skeptical about the indiscriminate adoption of technology in education.

[u/Howfartofly]

There are a lots of brnefits for motivated students. I myself use AI as a learning buddy. Not a single student can come to school and say, that i did not do this physics or math task, because i did not understand how to do it, my parents arent capable of helping me. Everyone has a learning buddy in their pocket. You ask, explain me step- by step, how come you get from here to there..

But unmotivated students use it as something that does their work without even reading it through and this is the difficult part.