Creativity Killer: How the Rise of AI Has Impacted Learning
Written by Avery Davenport, Blue Valley Northwest High School Sophomore
Initially published in “P.O.V. Publish Our Voices,” a student-run magazine showcasing the perspectives of young writers.
Artificial Intelligence can be a collaborative tool, sparking conversations between students, not only about the content outputted by the AI, but also regarding the morality of using AI.
The rise of artificial intelligence in recent years has led to significant changes in people’s daily lives. From AI chatbots found on websites to virtual assistants in our homes equipped with voice recognition software, this technological innovation has and will continue to reshape the way we communicate, collaborate, and go about our daily lives.
While in its early stages, AI was relatively easy to identify, with advancements and updates, it’s becoming harder to differentiate between factual from fraud. This is especially relevant in education, with many students being well-versed in the use and misuse of artificial intelligence.
Anabel Carney, a junior at Lee’s Summit West said while AI can be an unreliable tool, there are some positive aspects.
“It can help brainstorm ideas,” Carney said. “But if you take advantage of it it’s taking away that creativity aspect of something on a personal level.”
Another important aspect of artificial intelligence is the morality of sharing AI-created content.
Social media makes it easy for people to share whatever they like with minimal guidelines regarding the share and spread of AI content.
“As long as you cite that it was created by AI,” Mea Carradine, a junior at Lee’s Summit West said. “Otherwise it can be harmful to share online.”
While some students use AI tools to facilitate brainstorming,
Carradine said many people use it to blatantly cheat.
“The majority of people use it to cheat. If they completely copy and paste assignments from it, then it is not used responsibly,” Carradine said.
Although AI is often used irresponsibly, students believe schools could do a better job of educating students in regards to how to use AI to facilitate their learning.
Schools do a lot more of the negative focus of AI. They don’t really talk about how it can also be helpful.
Drew Gustafson, Kearney High School Junior
“They should talk about how we can use it just for ideas, and how we can brainstorm off of it,” said Gustafson.
Given how fast artificial intelligence has developed since it’s meager beginnings, Carney described how it’s not going away anytime soon.
While people can use it negatively I feel it’s always going to be around. We need to learn how to use it in a positive manner.
Anabel Carney, Lee’s Summit West Junior
Gustafson also described how it stifles the creativity and liberty of students and teachers alike.
“I feel a lot of teachers use it now, they use it to make prompts,” Gustafson said. “It kills creativity because if you go on Google, it cuts up words from different websites and uses AI to formulate an answer.”
