The pros and cons of artificial intelligence

AI is changing how students learn by offering personalized lessons, instant feedback, and better accessibility. It helps spark creativity but can also make students too dependent on technology, raise privacy concerns, and possibly introduce biases. AI-generated content might also affect originality and thinking capacity.

To get the most out of AI in education, it’s important to use it alongside traditional teaching methods to keep students thinking critically and developing their own ideas. Aaradhana Shrestha from ApEx spoke to three people to find out how they think AI is impacting students’ learning experiences, creativity, and originality, and if they saw AI as a positive influence on their education.

Sushant Thapa, 31

Students are relying too much on spoon-fed answers of AI rather than being research oriented. Students will be unable to do critical reasoning when AI spoon-feeds them. AI paraphrases and summarizes the information that it takes from sites like Bing and hence it only makes associations weaker. Relying blindly on AI cannot fulfill socio-cultural knowledge which is part of originality in understanding. AI will not make students self-reliant hence their creativity will be lost. Students must search for what they do not understand, and hence carry on with their research. AI is not the solution for easy learning. AI can even misguide you through incorrect text. AI mustn’t replace teachers because teaching also involves understanding the minds of the learners.

Sanskar Silwal, 23

AI offers personalized learning, generative pre-trained transformers and adaptive learning platforms provide instant feedback, allowing students to grasp complex concepts more effectively. The recent Apple AI on iOS 18 has amazed Apple users with its problem-solving capabilities, helping mathematical students by providing instant solutions to complex equations and improving their understanding of advanced concepts.

As a computer engineering student, being active in the field of technology has helped me understand AI and how its use can enhance a student’s learning experience, and creativity but also bring challenges in originality of their critical thinking. The ease of access to AI tools might tempt students to rely on them rather than developing their own ideas, potentially undermining critical thinking and authentic creativity. Despite the challenges, AI positively impacts education by democratizing access, equipping students with advanced skills, and preparing them for a tech-driven future.

Rashmi Poudel, 22

The advent of AI has opened a wide horizon of learning opportunities for students. With easy access to information, overcoming various learning hurdles has become possible. Nevertheless, the boom of this seemingly omniscient technology has also diminished students’ creativity. As AI becomes more efficient at solving problems, students are undermining their cognitive abilities. Consequently, the potential of neural networks, which are biologically wired to activate and sharpen with every act of brainstorming and divergent thinking, becomes dull over time. Thus, students lose faith in their own creative thoughts and ideas, undermining the originality and authenticity of their tasks. The influence of AI on students’ education is ambivalent. To make AI a means rather than an end to learning, students must use their own judgment.