Before ChatGPT students flocked to Quizlet, Cengage and a plethora of other websites for help with their homework. However, artificial intelligence (AI) has now became widely used for creating study guides, note taking and the occasional quick completion of an assignment.
AI is becoming an increasingly popular tool in the worlds of art and academia. Sites like ChatGPT and Sora’s video generation app have created mixed feelings towards AI as students begin to rely on it for anything from simple organizational tasks, study guides, outfit planning and hairstyling tips.
One writer and sociology major at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) who preferred to stay anonymous, had a less than positive view on AI and found that, at least for her, the technology had little to offer.
“I used AI for a process vetted by the university, putting in your paragraph, and having it [AI] edit it or if you’re struggling to reach a word count, having it say, ‘This is how you can make it longer without making it sound clunky,’” She said. “I did it to try to understand the purpose of AI, and in all actuality, if I had an extra 30 minutes, I could have done it myself. It just changed the method in which I did the task.”
Other students like communication major, Joneeah Hudson, say that when used correctly can be quite helpful, often using it to create study guides or satisfy her own curiosity.
“I used to ask personal questions like how to do a curly hair routine, for outfit planning, hygiene products. Random questions like, ‘how far away am I from this mountain?’ It varies, but I’ve used it for a few things, both personal and for school,” Hudson said.
Like with many new technologies, there are concerns about how it’ll be used. Professor and chair of UTEP’s Computer Science Department, Salmah Salmah, Ph.D., said that he was optimistic about the development of AI.
“With every advancement, you can use it for good, you can also use it for bad,” Salmah said. “You always have to have regulations but to me, it’s a problem when somebody says it’s black and white. ‘Don’t use AI.’ I think it needs to be, ‘Here’s how I would like you to use AI.’”
Having often used AI to speed up time-consuming activities like summarizing technical documents and sorting emails, Salmah says that these tasks are where AI shines. However, the risk of dependency and users failing to consider the errors that AI often makes persist.
“We take it as gospel right now. Imagine if we’re using it to treat a patient or ask social questions. We shouldn’t rely on it that way because it doesn’t always return the right answers. Actually, more often than not, it doesn’t return the right answers,” Salmah said.
Despite not having had the chance to utilize AI in his own classes, Salmah said he believes teaching students how to use and check AI is a responsibility of academic institutions. Building AI skills will reduce repetitive busy work and require students to master the foundational aspects of their disciplines.
“You as a student better make sure that you’re really strong in the foundational knowledge within your discipline because AI is going to produce results that are incorrect. It will be your responsibility to understand why that’s not a right answer and correct it,” Salmah said.
According to most students, AI is a double-edged sword. On one end, AI is a supportive tool on the other it can be a hollow replacement for human creativity and critical thinking.
“I feel like there’s instances where it gets out of hand to where it’s used unethically, say to do things to advance you in homework or academic studies, or when it’s just flat out used to replace the human originality of things,” Hudson said.
Other students like Alex Graffell, a biomedical major, has only used AI on a couple occasions, helping create study guides based on her notes or asking questions about subjects she’s already somewhat familiar with. As an artist, Graffell questions the validity of AI-generated artwork. Saying that the inclusion of AI takes away from the meanings and emotions that people weave into their art.
“Art is meant to have meaning behind it; it is supposed to have emotion and thought. There is no emotion or thought or meaning behind anything made by a bunch of ones and zeroes. It is no longer inherently art. It is just an image that was created. It’s no longer a song, it’s just a bunch of random noises,” Graffell said.
As AI continues to become popular, many people share their concerns and anger towards the idea of an AI replacing human jobs, interactions and creativity. A fear that Salmah believes isn’t as severe as it’s often made out to be.
“AI is not going to take your future job. Somebody who knows how to use AI is the one who’s gonna take your job. So, you better know how to use AI,” Salmah said.
Salmah said that healthy skepticism and continued developments in both education and AI are going to help people recognize its usefulness while still being able to acknowledge the risks.
“I think we’re on the right trajectory. Still, there is lots of mistrust. And actually, I see those things as good things, but I think, I think it’s getting a little bit more and more acceptable,” Salmah said. “I think we are getting a little bit closer to seeing the benefits of it and that it’s not that harmful.”
By most students at UTEP, AI is an advancement that’s still largely viewed through a negative lens. to still be viewed through a largely negative lens despite the growing popularity and curiosity which drives users to try it out in the first place.
Jewel Ocampo is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]
