Have you ever thought about the consequences of mankind’s creations for the future generations? Is this whole revolution of technological advancement a bad thing? For starters, the breakthrough of having machines think and complete our tasks–namely Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)–has brought huge benefits to humanity. In just a year, the whole world experienced a sudden rise of A.I. and was flipped. It has attracted and assisted humans in many ways. But, like a calm before the storm, A.I. slowly brought its wave of challenges.
One of the most popular forms of A.I. nowadays is ChatGPT. Who doesn’t know about ChatGPT? ChatGPT, with its incredibly human-like dialogues, left the world in awe. All of our thinking, we dropped it for this chatbot to answer. Essays, assignments, pictures, simulations, you name it ChatGPT will do it. And as we bathed in the convenience of automation, we unknowingly surrendered our ability to think for ourselves. But the thing is, why? Why do we give in so easily? Is it really just for convenience?
In the world of education, ChatGPT has contributed significantly. As a student myself I admit I have used ChatGPT multiple times–whether it is to elevate my studying or even to complete an assignment I was too sluggish to work on. But considering its benefits and consequences, ChatGPT is like a double edged sword.
A detail I have noticed is the frequency of ChatGPT use by students, which is almost daily. Utilizing A.I. to finish homework and assignments quickly became a norm. Me and many of my classmates would largely use ChatGPT to assist in our assignments and homeworks, to quickly get answers and solutions. And over time, using A.I. naturally became a part of our educational routine.
As a result of its growing presence in our daily lives, I have seen firsthand how ChatGPT impacted my friends and even experienced it myself. The more we used ChatGPT the more we grew attached. It felt great at first, finishing your homework faster and automatically getting satisfactory grades without putting in much effort. We thought it was harmless, but over time that convenience transformed from assistance to dependence.
Consequently, it’s convenience that is provided to students–which causes dependency–makes procrastination and laziness increasingly common among us students in this generation. Critical thinking, who? We have ChatGPT. In an instant, many students even stopped trying. The increasing use of ChatGPT has led to individuals’ growing dependence on A.I., resulting in misuse and even abuse (Kasneci et al., 2023; King & ChatGPT, 2023).
Not to mention the decrease in critical thinking skills between students. Over reliance on ChatGPT or any other A.I. programs may limit students’ ability to solve problems independently and reduce their capacity for critical evaluation of information (Szmyd & Mitera, 2024). Simply put, using A.I. too much can spoil one’s brain.
But subjectively speaking, it’s more than just dependence and decrease in critical thinking skills. Excessive reliance on ChatGPT can actually shrink students’ confidence. Students may feel uncertain about what they have learned and understood without checking what ChatGPT has to say. I have experienced this impact myself. Due to this I once doubted my ability to answer test questions which ultimately resulted in my grades declining.
But, have you ever considered, apart from the convenience, why do so many students use ChatGPT? Perhaps students’ problematic use of ChatGPT or any other A.I. program roots from an excessive number of assignments, or poor time management, or maybe even academic stress and performance expectations. Again, what started as a shortcut turned into a habit–a lifeline even. But in this system that prioritizes results over process, can you really blame the students’ for seeking an easier way?
This expectation is what pushes students to the idea of using A.I. for help. Nowadays everyone is required to have at least a Bachelor’s degree, if not? No job. It’s hard enough to find a job with a degree, let alone with only a highschool diploma. This suggestion puts a mental strain on the students. Achieving their goal feels easier said than done. Naturally students’ seek out ways to help them succeed. And one of those ways is using A.I.–in this case ChatGPT–to help in school so that they can continuously get good results. In hopes that this ‘assistance’ may lead toward a future of success. When in fact, they were failing themselves.
To say we didn’t acknowledge its impact on us would be an understatement, because we outright refused to. Many of us are aware of the after effects of pivoting to A.I. for work that was meant to be brainstormed ourselves. I admit that this over reliance on ChatGPT may raise concerns of academic misconduct. Even though A.I. provides an undeniable support, as future generations, we cannot use it as an excuse to neglect learning.
The role of A.I. in education is not a problem–but the way we use it is actually what defines the impact. While A.I. may assist us, we must not forget that it cannot replace our ability of thinking. The convenience it provides is tempting, but true knowledge comes from effort and personal growth. We must not make ourselves dependent on A.I. as it may risk our skills that were meant to develop. So it’s up to you, will you let A.I. help our thinking, or will you let it think for you?