AI Tools in Education:

Balancing Opportunities and Risks for Students

a small wooden mannequin holds a block with a plus sign in one hand and a block with a minus sign in the other

AI Tools in Education:

Balancing Opportunities
and Risks for Students
By Adam Geller
In recent years, artificial intelligence tools have rapidly gained popularity and become easily accessible to the everyday user. Chatbots like ChatGPT by OpenAI have been making headlines and raising concerns in the education sector as they are being used to help students cheat in school. However, simply banning these AI tools will not solve the problem, as students will always find ways to bypass restrictions.

Rather than trying to block AI tools, it is important to set rules for their use and clarify for students when using them will be considered acceptable or considered cheating. Nonprofits like Quill and CommonLit have even released a toolkit to help educators navigate this issue.

One of the main misconceptions about AI content generation tools like ChatGPT is that they possess a vast amount of knowledge and are capable of writing accurate and well-informed responses. In reality, these tools work based on statistical probabilities and are only as accurate as the information available on the internet, which is not always correct.

The rapid advancement of AI tools has created new challenges for the education sector, but they also present new opportunities for innovation and creativity.
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The rapid advancement of AI tools has created new challenges for the education sector, but they also present new opportunities for innovation and creativity.

For example, when asked, ChatGPT said it was released in June 2020, even though the correct date was November 2022. When asked to write about the first woman president of the United States, ChatGPT also provided incorrect information. AI-generated content has even proven unreliable in a professional context, as demonstrated by inaccurate articles produced by CNET using AI tools.

While it is impressive that AI content generation tools can produce rich content quickly, it is important to keep in mind that they do not possess true intelligence and their output can often be inaccurate or unreliable.

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The solution to this issue lies in educating students on how to use these AI tools effectively and in a responsible manner. This can be achieved by incorporating AI tools into lessons and teaching students how to critically analyze the information generated by them, much like how calculators are used in math classes.
Still not convinced of the power of ChatGPT? This entire column was generated by ChatGPT when I asked it to summarize and rewrite an existing article written by me about the same topic. There has been minimal editing to the ChatGPT output.

Moreover, instead of relying solely on AI tools to complete assignments, it is essential to design assignments that measure thinking in new ways. This can include critical thinking exercises, hands-on projects, and group discussions that cannot be easily replicated by an AI tool.

The rapid advancement of AI tools has created new challenges for the education sector, but they also present new opportunities for innovation and creativity. By setting clear rules for their use and incorporating them into lessons, students can be taught how to use AI tools in a responsible and effective manner, while also learning important skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving.

Still not convinced of the power of ChatGPT? This entire column was generated by ChatGPT when I asked it to summarize and rewrite an existing article written by me about the same topic. There has been minimal editing to the ChatGPT output.

About the author

Adam Geller is the founder of Edthena, a video analysis and online collaboration platform for educators, and author of “Evidence of Practice: Playbook for Video-Powered Professional Learning.” He started his career in education as a science teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2011, Adam has overseen the evolution of Edthena from a paper-based prototype into a research-informed and patented platform used by schools, districts, teacher training programs, and professional development providers. In 2022, Edthena announced the first-of-its-kind AI Coach platform which enables teachers to complete independent inquiry cycles and access AI-powered suggestions for their classrooms.
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