{"id":4740,"date":"2023-07-12T06:25:14","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T06:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/why-education-needs-to-lean-into-chatgpt-instead-of-trying-to-ban-it\/"},"modified":"2023-07-12T06:25:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T06:25:15","slug":"why-education-needs-to-lean-into-chatgpt-instead-of-trying-to-ban-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=4740","title":{"rendered":"Why Education Needs To Lean Into ChatGPT\u2014Instead Of Trying To Ban It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Are AI content generators the end of our ability to think and write\u2014or a tool to take these skills further?<\/em><\/p>\n

The genie\u2019s out of the bottle.<\/p>\n

The cat\u2019s out of the bag.<\/p>\n

Pandora\u2019s box has been flung wide open.<\/p>\n

Whatever your preferred metaphor to describe something that can\u2019t be reversed, apply it now to the emergence of artificial intelligence. AI-generated content, produced with tools like ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO and a host of others, is here. And it\u2019s not going away. (Though for the record, it was not<\/em> used to write this story.)<\/p>\n

Content generated in whole or in part by AI is a hot-button topic, especially in the realm of education. In the workplace there appears to be a cautious welcome for it as a way to increase efficiency, analyze information and make data usable again. But education is tasked not with merely getting things done efficiently, but with teaching skills like critical thinking, research and composition, to name a few. Many worry that AI is usurping (and eventually devaluing) these skills by doing the hard work for the student.<\/p>\n

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These are legitimate concerns, but there\u2019s also a case for leaning into AI rather than smothering its use with a blanket ban. Because, of course, it won\u2019t be smothered. Practically speaking, we will not be able to prevent young people from using AI to do their math homework and generate all kinds of content\u2014from their latest book report to the resumes and cover letters they use to land their first job.<\/p>\n

So how do we navigate this swift wave of technological change?<\/p>\n

AI versus human skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIf technology can do it for me, why do I need to learn to do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

When graphing calculators came into play, we asked the same question. While calculators have a role in higher-level math, they do not teach that math. Calculators cannot tell us how or why an answer is correct; they simply provide it. Does that mean we stop using them in higher-level math courses? No.<\/p>\n

The same argument could be made for the spreadsheet. If you really consider what it can do, it\u2019s an amazing piece of software and a valuable tool. But it\u2019s how it\u2019s deployed that makes it useful.<\/p>\n

Both the calculator and spreadsheet are tools that increase efficiency, but we must first understand what we need them to do before we can use them effectively. We still have to problem-solve.<\/p>\n

Are AI content generators all that different? To use AI to write an effective essay, the student must know the point they want to make, why it matters and what arguments help them make that case. Then once the initial content is generated, they must verify the sources, review the style, correct any errors, and produce a human-checked piece of work to hand in. I don\u2019t know about you, but to me that still sounds like significant work on the student\u2019s part\u2014with a lot of learning happening along the way.<\/p>\n

Similarly, students who use AI to solve a math problem won\u2019t just get the answer (as a calculator would show). They will be shown every bit of the work, with reasons and explanations at every step. In essence, it teaches you how to get the answer\u2014and isn\u2019t that what we want students to learn?<\/p>\n

Without AI, they are already behind<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The role of education is, at least in part, to prepare the student for a successful future. But an education devoid of any training in the current technology of the time will fail to do that.<\/p>\n

When young people enter the workforce, it will be assumed that they know how to use AI effectively. In fact, new skills like \u201cprompt engineering\u201d will be in high demand. We do students no favors by trying to pretend AI-generated content doesn\u2019t exist. If they can\u2019t use it when they launch their careers, they are already behind.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why equitable access to tools like ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO and others is so vital. If AI is not going away, we need to equip young people of all backgrounds and walks of life to use it well in their future careers.<\/p>\n

AI\u2019s limitations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While it may feel like AI can do anything and everything for us, it can\u2019t. AI can only generate content based on existing content; it cannot make ethical judgments, determine facts, or even \u2018create\u2019 anything in the purest sense of the word. It can only generate based on what is already out there.<\/p>\n

Not to mention that sometimes, AI \u201challucinates\u201d and makes up fake sources to generate content, as two lawyers recently learned the hard way. You still need a human to understand what\u2019s real and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I believe that in the near future, we will come up against the limits of AI. And it will remind us that no matter how shiny and impressive the technology is, it can never replace the human factor. We will always have something AI doesn\u2019t have. This is a prime teaching moment for students who may think AI is the shortcut that eliminates all their effort. It doesn\u2019t\u2014but it will redirect where that effort is expended.<\/p>\n

The AI opportunity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Because the AI wave seems so big and strong, it can be easy to overlook the fact that educators are in a unique position to influence the way that students use this tool. But they are.<\/p>\n

Educators have a valuable chance to guide young people in using AI tools while maximizing their learning along the way. If we position ourselves as hardcore anti-AI, we sacrifice any influence we may have had with students, who will simply go elsewhere to learn how to best use it.<\/p>\n

To leverage their influence, educators can:<\/p>\n