Artificial intelligence is rapidly developing, and with that comes the moral dilemma of whether or not to allow its use in classrooms to assist in research for projects. In the recent past, the answer from teachers tended to be a very firm no, but as of this year the IB (International Baccalaureate) Programme has taken a more lenient approach to its usage.
In its most recent edition of the Academic Integrity policy, IB’s stance revolves around teaching students “proper use” of these tools. This has raised concerns to some, as AI can often give false or misleading information and tends to use high amounts of water to generate prompts.
Anna Bacon, who teaches both IB English and English Two, sees AI as something that students need to be taught proper use of. She said that the technology can be integrated as a part of learning and can be a lesson to teach students responsibility.
“I think it is a teacher’s job to learn about the new technology to understand how students are using it and how to incorporate appropriate use,” Bacon said. “That is part of being a life-long learner.” She did however also acknowledge concerns of students obtaining non-factual information from AI, and noted that students should always be fact checking what the AI gives them.
Ryan Davis, the Hellgate orchestra director, and IB music teacher, whose frequent use of ai has become a lighthearted joke amongst his students, said that he uses AI to adjust the phrasing or organization of things.
“I think AI can be a useful tool for organizing your thoughts or helping you get unstuck, but the majority of the work should still come from the student,” Davis said. “You have to actually engage with the material to learn it. That’s the core of what school is for.”
When asked about the role he sees artificial intelligence playing in his students’ futures, Davis said, “I think we’re already at the point where you can either ignore AI or figure out how to use it without losing the best parts of what you do. For me, that’s creativity. For someone else, it might be analysis, or expertise. Those skills will still matter.”
Davis said he doesn’t think AI can replace the creativity of students. “Sure, AI can write music or even simulate performances,” he said. “But it’s not going to write the same song you would write. It doesn’t have your experiences, your emotions, your personality. And when something feels too perfect, it often feels fake. We see that with AI generated visual art as well. I think going to a robot rock band concert would feel disingenuous.”
While most of the teachers spoken to believed that their students were capable of using it responsibly, the students that were spoken to surprisingly had the opposite opinion. Senior Lenora Sackey raised concerns about the creative aspects of learning. As an artist, they have seen people’s work get stolen and re-uploaded by AI with no credit.
“I believe that AI impedes learning and stunts creativity,” Sackey said. When asked about using AI for inspiration but completing the rest of the work without it they still disagreed with its use. “If a student needs the crutch to help them come up with a prompt it does not show a true understanding of the materials they were given to work with,” they said.
“It violates academic integrity because it’s literally just plagiarism,” said Rowan Barrie, a Hellgate senior. Barrie said that he felt as though the use of AI, even as a brainstorm, wasn’t fair to the students who actually put in the effort for the whole assignment.
AI use has sparked conversation across Hellgate about both academic morals as well as the role it might play in the future of student’s lives. Though many disagree on if it should be used as a tool in a classroom setting, a general consensus from teachers was that they want their students to be prepared for a future where it does become more prevalent.
“If it’s not part of our system, it’s going to be part of someone else’s. And that’s going to give them an advantage. I want my students to be ready for the world they’re heading into, even if we can’t predict what world they are heading into,” said Davis.
