WHO Is to Blame You or AI?

When I think of AI, there are always these particular instances that remind that make me feel about what life would be like if generative AI was never created. It reminds me of how hard it has made those in the education system work 10 times harder, whether that is from the point of view of a teacher or student. However, since I’ve currently been through the many stages of AI being developed and it was a big problem when I was in high school, it’s only fair that I talk about it from the perspective of a student.

At first, when generative AI was first introduced people saw it as something strange and as if it was a technological robot that was invading the earth (a tad bit overdramatic if you ask me but sure). I watched as everyone began to panic, the fear set in that students would officially have something at the palm of their hands that could prevent them from actually learning. However, the art of learning died long before the invention of AI. Oddly enough blame can be set upon a variety of groups (parents, students, hell even teachers) we have reached a point in society where students don’t want to learn, while parents and teachers are not willing to teach or guide the children anymore. So, if we think about it honestly AI was never to problem. But of course, when it comes to adults, parents, and educators alike. AI is the first thing they point their fingers at. This brings me to my next point.

There were 2 instances where AI almost ruined someone’s life and one of them involved me while the other involved this girl from a TikTok. In my senior year of high school, I had an assignment that had to be a 5-page essay ” about something or someone who impacted my life. After I had turned in my essay, my teacher accused me of using Chat GPT to produce my essay and proceeded to give me a 50 on it. However, what this teacher failed to realize was that I had put a lot of handwork and hours into conducting that essay was not written by AI but just well well-written essay that I wanted to make about my life. Something personal to me was ruined because my teacher automatically assumed that I had plagiarized my entire essay, simply because and I quote ” This was just too well written for someone your age.” This teacher invalidated my essay because it is easier to assume someone is Plagiarizing ideas from AI than to just assume that students can be well-rounded and smart with the reliance on AI.

Another instance relates to a video I saw on TikTok a year or two ago, where a girl was almost expelled from her university because her professor assumed her essay was AI. When she had physically proven that she had spent hours completing her essay and he still didn’t believe her. All because the AI scanner professors use said that her essay was 5% AI. Which is not even a valid enough percentage for a professor to accuse a student of plagiarism. So she had to go before the academic school board to prove her innocence. Where she was then reenrolled back into her university, without

I’m currently in a college class called Gutenberg GPT: Why write? Where we have discussed on multiple occasions AI vs the education system. If AI has destroyed the education system or is it just a tool that was created to help better the system?

Of course, I understand when people say that AI is ruining the education system, but I also stand with the fact that people’s fear of generative AI will also ruin it. It is an understatement when we talk about those taking advantage of AI, some people can’t complete a single assignment without the help of AI but that doesn’t mean that it applies to everyone. Which I think is where the problem comes. People or educators can just automatically assume a person has used AI just because it has become the new ” Normal”.

But I guess for now what I want y’all to take from this post is that AI was created as a potential tool to help with certain things. However, the fear of AI just has a potent impact on the education system. The true problem with AI is how society (particularly educators) reacts to it. They always seem to tend to automatically assume that AI is at fault. Hey, take it from someone with experience. Education should be about learning, growth and trust, but when fear takes over, it hinders that process. I truly believe that eventually that it will boil down to the future of education being balanced with advanced technology and human learning and teaching. But I’m no Fortune teller so I could always be wrong. AI should be used as a resource, not a scapegoat and that applies to both educators and students.