Is Technology Taking Over?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the world around us, transforming many industries. AI technology has also made its way into classrooms, affecting both students and teachers. While AI has some benefits, there are reasons as to why it may have a negative impact on education. 

One of the biggest concerns right now when it comes to AI in education is that it may lead to over-reliance on technology. Students may become too dependent on AI and not supply their own work for assignments. Programs such as OpenAI’s Chat GPT can write short response answers and even entire essays for highschoolers to use. This may lead to inaccurate grading and lack of motivation as students will rely on AI to provide them with answers instead of producing their own. 

“I won’t lie, having this tech at my fingertips makes it hard for me to do my own work. It’s so easy to have ChatGPT come up with answers for me, especially if an assignment seems like too much,” told one anonymous Sophomore.  

Another negative impact caused by artificial intelligence is the potential lack of human interaction that students receive when using AI-powered educational tools. According to a meta-analysis from the National Library of Medicine social and emotional development can significantly enhance student’s social behaviors, grades, and test scores. While AI can supply teachings and feedback, it cannot replace the emotional support that students require and receive from human educators.  

Sophomore Raulnel Hernandez states, “When I’m in a class where I feel like I don’t have a connection with who’s teaching me, I just can’t focus, and I don’t have the motivation to complete my work.” 

Though Artificial Intelligence can be helpful when set up, AI models are prone to bias and errors, which require constant monitoring and repairment to ensure their accuracy and reliability. The cost of repair and maintenance can be a big weight on schools, and budgets will have to be expanded to cover these expenses.  

Freshman Merry Kiboko explained how she felt about the costs, “Something tells me our school has other things to save money for, so having to pay for AI might be taxing.” 

Overall, artificial intelligence has many helpful benefits, there are also potential negative effects that we need to consider before making it a prominent feature in our schools. Technology is changing the world every day, but it is up to us whether to use it to push us forward or set us back. 

“I have a lot of hope in Artificial Intelligence, I think the world just needs to figure out how to use it,” Stated Junior Sacadi Powell.