For years students have used artificial intelligence like essay generators for school work. Some people believe that using AI intelligence for school work is cheating because it does the work for you, so students don’t understand what they’re supposed to learn. Teachers have different views on students using AI for their classes. The consequences of using AI on assessments can be severe.

There are several kinds of artificial intelligence students use to do schoolwork. One kind is an essay generator such as ChatGPT. You type something into the program and it writes you a whole essay very quickly. There are math AI programs like Photomath where students can take a picture of the problem and it shows you how to solve it. Google Translate is an AI program that students sometimes use for their foreign language homework.

There are also programs teachers could use. Derek Roberts, who teaches Biology, Algebra 1, and Applied Math for freshmen through seniors, uses a picture-finding AI program for slideshows.

Mary Anne Teague, who teaches Algebra for sophomores and juniors, among other classes, says there are programs to create math problems for students. She hasn’t used it herself, as she says the generated problems still require work before giving to students. 

Based on an anonymous student survey emailed to all MVHS students in November, 84.5% of students said they had never used AI for an assignment in school, but an anonymous student said, “I’m pretty sure everyone I know has used AI at least once.” It is very possible that the students who said they had never used AI on the survey were lying to avoid getting in trouble. Some students who have used AI have been caught and some have gotten away with it.

Teachers say that AI is hard to detect, except when it comes to writing essays. “There is little to no thought and comprehension that students have to apply when having AI to write an essay for them,” Roberts said.

There are some ways that it can help students. Teague said that Photomath could help kids understand better, but Photomath can’t be used on tests or assessments because it’s helpful to students but not as helpful as they might think. Teague also believes that AI is not always a useful tool  because students don’t learn the right material that they are supposed to be learning by using AI; they can’t just build off the little skills that they learn in school to write a paper or type an essay now. 

Spanish teacher Erica Nichols says that AI’s work in foreign languages is easy to spot. Google Translate is a form of AI. Nichols works with freshmen through seniors, teaches Spanish at all levels, and multiple college-level classes. The use of different verbs or slang that was not introduced in class is usually a quick giveaway that a student is using AI. She also said that it is clear to see that they did not demonstrate what they know when they use AI and they automatically have to re-do the work if AI is suspected. However, Nichols also said, “I don’t think all AI is evil. I think there are times and places where AI is beneficial.” She believes it’s important for students to be able to recognize when it is and isn’t appropriate to use AI. 

After speaking with teachers and students it is clear that AI is a problem in the school setting. New apps and technology are also making it more accessible, but the teachers are also aware of these advancements. Overall in the school setting, AI seems to be doing more harm than good.