At ELHS, there is an ongoing conversation among students and teachers on the ethicality of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom. AI tools such as Grammarly and ChatGPT continue to evolve and help students with studying and planning, leading to the question of whether AI should enter the classroom or be kept out altogether. There are cases to be made for both, making the issue much more challenging for all involved. So where do we draw the line? More importantly, is there a consistent one drawn to alleviate mixed messaging for students? Some teachers use AI to help with lesson plans and generate problems for tests and quizzes, while others do not support the use of AI in any capacity. Biology teacher Kip Kotzan shared his beliefs on how helpful AI can be, as it can be used as an effective learning tool to assist both teachers and students. “I think [AI] can help teachers. I don’t think that’s a ridiculous thing. Many teachers utilize the internet to get lesson plans,” he explained. Mr. Kotzan tends to use Brisk often, an AI software that creates lesson plans. This tool helps him save time on planning. However, he always double checks the information, as AI is not always correct. Similarly, history teacher Sara Griffith believes that a ban on AI is not necessary, as there are ways it can be helpful and useful to a student. However, she also believes that AI can destroy students’ critical thinking skills. Kimberly Buckley, the Curriculum Instructional Leader for the English department, explained how students lose their creativity and how their passion can be lost when they take advantage of AI. “How do you ever find out what your passion is if you’ve never done hard work?” she said. Similar to Ms. Griffith, Ms. Buckley still believes that AI can be used effectively when being used responsibly. “Although AI can be incorrect at times,” Ms. Buckley said, “[AI] can actually push students to do more work because those answers aren’t always right.” Students at El also have mixed feelings towards AI, as it is equally as helpful as it is misused. “AI is built to give you an answer that you want, not the answer that’s actually right, so I always have to check the answer,” junior Ben Li said. “However, AI can tell you the process of a problem so you understand.” Junior Rayaan Asghar had similar viewpoints as well. “There’s a difference between copying something from AI and using it to facilitate your learning,” Asghar said. “If you’re using it to understand a concept, it’s okay, but if you’re going to copy, it just defeats the whole purpose.” Both students and teachers acknowledge that when used responsibly, AI can be a helpful tool. The main concern is how much students rely on it, as overdependence can limit problem-solving and originality. “No AI knows my students and my class as well as I do. I love what I do, so why would I let somebody else do it?” chemistry teacher Lori Singer said.
