Best and Worst Ways to Use AI in School

Artificial intelligence, or AI, impacts your everyday life. Whether you realize it or not, it’s working behind the scenes in virtually everything we do. For instance, AI might personalize your social media feeds, recommend things you should buy on your phone or computer, or help you navigate the best route to get somewhere. It can offer voice assistance, act as a tutor, help you park a car, or change the thermostat when you’re away from home. The possibilities seem endless, with more added to what it can do every day. 

AI’s Impact in School

One area where AI has a major impact on tweens, teens, and young adults is education. Gone are the days when you might have opened an encyclopedia or gone to the local library to work on a school book report or college term paper. Intelligence is at the tip of your fingers, literally. A few keystrokes and some carefully worded questions reveal responses that go on for pages, all within seconds. 

But that doesn’t mean AI is the answer to all of your learning challenges. Artificial intelligence offers both benefits and drawbacks to the school experience. As a student, you need to learn about both. So, here are some of the best and worst ways to make AI a part of your education. 

Best Ways to Use AI in Education

1. As a starting point or general overview.  Have you been assigned a topic that has you drawing a blank? Ask AI for an overview or introduction to the subject. That may help you decide where to go from there. Are you working on something that feels complex or over your head? Have AI break down complicated concepts into simpler ideas. Not sure what book to use for a report? AI can recommend options to get started. You can specify your topic of interest and the grade or reading level you need. AI can be a good source of inspiration and general knowledge. 
2. To organize ideas, evaluate your work, and use it as a study aid. There are plenty of ways to use AI to benefit all that you’re learning. Let’s say you are feeling overwhelmed with notes you took from a class. Ask AI to help you create an outline from your work. If you’re having trouble with time management at school, AI can build a timeline or calendar to help you be more effective at completing your work. When you’re unsure what to write about for an upcoming paper, let AI help you brainstorm or act as a sounding board. If it’s not clear whether the paper you’ve written makes sense or proves its points, AI can check for gaps in your understanding of a topic. AI can also act as an early-draft editor to check grammar and spelling. When you need help studying for an upcoming test, have AI create flashcards or generate practice questions to study. 
3. Improve your learning accessibility. Maybe you learn more efficiently with different tools, strategies, or techniques than your classmates do. AI offers tools such as text-to-speech, speech recognition, and visual representations of ideas to help make content and materials more accessible. These options can be a game-changer for students with learning differences or who learn more effectively using styles not traditionally used in classrooms. 

Worst Ways AI Can Impact Your Education 

1. Thinking that AI is always correct. There is plenty of information provided by AI that is right. However, assuming it is 100% accurate without questioning the answer or the source is a mistake. AI can “hallucinate” or give you incorrect information. It can even make up sources to support its answers. It’s essential to think about responses and question them. (Ask yourself: Does this answer make sense? Does this answer match other responses you’ve heard or seen? Where did this quote come from? What is the source of this information?)  
2. Letting you cheat. Because students can use AI to write essays or help complete assignments, it has become much easier for them to cheat. With so much pressure and competition in school, that may seem tempting, but don’t fall for it. You’re only cheating yourself in the long run. Be aware that there are numerous AI detectors on the market, and teachers are on the lookout – with some severe consequences! 
3. Giving AI your personal information. There are plenty of times when AI will ask you for information. Whenever you share information with AI, it stores it. You never know where that data may end up. If you’ve shared private information and a leak occurs, details may be released. 

Perhaps most importantly, using AI as a shortcut for learning may reduce your ability to think both critically and creatively. If you rely on AI heavily, you may end up with only a superficial – or surface – knowledge of something you need to understand more deeply. It may become harder to build on what you know as you advance in school. 

Don’t let yourself become too reliant on AI for answers. Instead, learn by seeking answers from others who have experience or have studied a topic extensively. Spend time connecting with your teachers, peers, friends, and family as you look for answers. Think about using AI as a way to improve your learning – not replace it.