By Kyle Arechiga

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking over the world, or at least that’s how it seems. Major tech companies are putting all their marketing and engineering resources into developing their own AI models, aiming to outshine ChatGPT and become the most widely used AI on the market. Although this surge in AI innovation may be good for competition and innovation, it also raises serious concerns, especially in education. 

Schools around the world have increasingly embraced technology to enhance learning, but the rise of AI presents a unique challenge because of the easy access to AI-generated content. Students no longer need to read an entire novel to summarize it in an essay, they can just ask ChatGpt to do it for them. Why write an essay when you can just type in the prompt and get it done in a minute as opposed to hours? 

In response, educators and institutions have implemented AI detection tools to identify if AI-generated writing. But innovation does not care about morals, which has led AI developers to counter with programs designed to “humanize” AI-generated text making it nearly impossible to distinguish AI content from student work.  

As AI becomes more advanced, teachers face an uphill battle in determining whether assignments are genuine. 

However, there is a simple solution, at least in the education sector. We should shift back to in-class handwritten assignments. Although technology has made schoolwork more convenient for both educators and students, writing by hand in a controlled environment ensures students are engaging with their work authentically. In-class assignments would reduce the temptation to just rely on AI and also eliminate most uncertainty of whether a piece was written by a student. This would also mean no homework, as everybody has some form of technology to draw upon at home.

Of course, this requires a shift in mindset. Many students will choose the easiest avenue to complete work, and AI offers an easy shortcut. But if we want to preserve critical thinking, creativity, and academic integrity, schools are going to have to adapt. Completing all written work in class might seem like a step backward in an increasingly digital world, but it would ultimately help students to have a more honest and rigorous learning experience.

Technology will always come with trade-offs. Education has to be prepared to address them. AI is definitely here to stay, but how we integrate it into the classroom will determine whether it enhances or detracts from learning.