Stacey May
“Alexa, turn off the light,” “Siri, call mom,” “Hey Google, play ‘Despacito,’” are phrases we are all familiar with. A.I., also known as Artificial Intelligence, is quickly becoming a standard part of our twenty-first century lives. But how does A.I. fit into our daily lives as college students?
According to the Mount St. Mary’s handbook, A.I. use without instructor permission is considered plagiarism. The results of getting caught using A.I. and plagiarizing can be failure of the assignment, failure of the course or even expulsion.
There are many differing opinions on A.I. use, especially among college students and professors. Natalie Artola (C’28) shared her opinion on A.I. use on campus; “As long as there is a way to regulate it, I think it can be used for good.” She also said, “I honestly do not care if professors use Turnitin, I understand they want to make sure that the words that come from students, do come from students.”
Dr. Sean Lewis, an associate English professor and head of the honors program, reported, “I think A.I. usage is increasing in areas where it is useful and decreasing in areas where it is not.” He stated, “I think that A.I. can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how it is used. If it is used to replace student writing or thought, then it is a bad thing, if it used for specific technical tasks, say in cyber security or computer science, then I think it can be a time-saving tool.”
Lewis emphasized, “I think that college students who do not yet know the limitations of A.I. and use it in ways that replaces their own thinking and writing, are doing themselves and the University a disservice by not developing their skills as thinkers and writers.”
Dylan Staub (C’25), stated, “I don’t agree with it [A.I.].” He said, “I think it can be helpful, but I do not think it should be used in scholarly or literary work. It allows people to utilize a brain other than their own, rather than engaging in the materials themself.”
Ally Sexton (C’26) said, “For me in the science field, we have some professors who are more open to A.I. to better understand certain subjects. But with Core classes, it is definitely a no-no for writing.” She also reported, “Instead of going through the process of brainstorming for a paper, some people will turn directly to using A.I. That kind of interferes with learning a little bit, but it can be a very useful tool in a positive aspect.”
Dr. Ruth Lamprecht, a computer science professor, said, “for good or for bad, it [A.I. use] is increasing.” She also reported, “Students do not always understand that A.I.’s knowledge is based off what it has been told, and if it has been told incorrectly, it will tell students incorrectly.”
Dr. Jonathan McCurdy, a data science professor, shared a similar opinion; “In lower division courses, we have to build a foundation and understand what we are doing, the critical thinking of it. I do not think A.I. has a place, at least in my lower division [data analysis] courses.”
Dr. Jordan Loveridge, an associate professor of communications and English, explained, “Often, what can happen is there is no action being taken by either the faculty or the students, and we are just like ‘Let's see how this will play out.’ In a lot of ways that is the worst position to be in, because no one is making any attempts to talk about ‘What are good ways to use this?’”
Loveridge is currently teaching a course on A.I. “I do think that, like many technologies, it's something that requires significant forethought and reflection on how it should be used, and ethical guidelines for how it should be used.”
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