By: Jay Jung ‘27
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, generative AI tools like ChatGPT are rapidly making their way into classrooms, reshaping the landscape of traditional classrooms and learning environments. As a community with diverse outlooks on such pressing issues closely related to the lives of students on campus, this article captures the various opinions of Andover students on the rapid advancements in technology and AI, and their following consequences to Andover student body.
Henry Zimmerman ‘27, a student very interested in the ethical dilemma of the advancement of technology, expressed his concerns about potential data breaches. He mentioned, “Technology takes ethical and moral violations and makes them much easier to commit at a larger scale.” His point emphasizes the fact that criminal activities such as stalking, which were largely physical, have now been made easier by the plethora of personal information online.
Zimmerman continues to explain how these issues directly affect students: “When we give our information to tech companies, there’s often a lack of stringent data protection, especially when students sign up with an inaccurate age.” He points out that a very real danger is compromising or selling the student data, potentially subjecting students to the risk of hacking and identity theft. In the broader picture, this can potentially lead to much more than breaches of educational information but also their personal information as well.
In terms of using artificial intelligence in learning, Zimmerman firmly believes that “The only thing you’ll always have is your mind and what’s in it. If you depend too much on tech, you limit your learning to devices that may not be there when you truly need them.” His approach emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and self-reliance in this modern age where AI plays an influential role in education.
On the other hand, Sophia Tabibian ‘26, introduces crucial benefits of AI in education and the optimal balance it should strike between machine-generated content and human contribution. Tabibian explains how artificial intelligence can be beneficial for students’ learning: “I think AI is helping learning for research purposes. For example, I use AI for biology class if I want to find sources, and I really like [to do] that. I also think AI is good for math. When I don’t know how to solve a problem, sometimes I’ll use ChatGPT [to figure them out]”
Tabibian is optimistic that current hesitations and stigmas surrounding AI in education will eventually fade, drawing the example of Wikipedia and its initial perception in the world of academia and research.
“When Wikipedia…initially came out, teachers [claimed that it was] terrible [for in-class usage], viewing it as unreliable. But now people use it all the time. I think that’s going to happen with AI,” she noted.
While Tabibian also acknowledges that extensive usage of generative AI in creative works may potentially degrade the writer’s ability to express themself creatively, Tabibian believes the initial hype and fear around its integration will gradually subside as people become more aware of its role in education.
Although two quite differing opinions about artificial intelligence are captured in this article, it is important to note that many gradients of opinion exist in between, especially as nobody is entirely clear about the full capability of this emerging technology. Hence, the challenge at hand is to understand the extent of how this technology can aid students’ learning and how educational institutions foster environments and curriculums that facilitate the ethical usage of these emerging technologies.
Read more articles like this in our Fall 2024 Issue!
