learntoquestion ltq discussions

Originally posted by crunchybiscuits on May 29, 2025 13:47

There is a great multitude of AI systems. One’s that we typically know about the most are educational AI chat boxes, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot. These are known as language models, where once someone inputs information, the AI will give an output. However, these systems go just beyond education. Many have found that since AI will adapt itself to the command that an individual gives them, they can be used for more social and personal endeavors. A great example of this is Snapchat AI, Character.AI, or even Instagram AI chat logs. In a sense, these interactions between a human and AI can be understandable, it also alludes to the human disconnect that the internet and computers have placed on society. Specifically, patterns behind human disconnect almost happen in the same manner: it is not necessarily artificial intelligence that is stunting mental growth, but the growth of available resources on the internet. Before social media and the rise of TikTok, people were extremely independent in terms of applying their knowledge to find information. Because of misinformation and the vast number of people on social media platforms, information since then has been extremely unreliable. We see this is happening with artificial intelligence. River Page's Your Chatbot Won’t Cry If You Die, she insinuates the message that companies such as Instagram are taking advantage of loneliness on the internet. “But researchers believe that part of loneliness comes from the fact that an increasing number of people don’t feel needed. We’re less essential to our communities. Your friends need you though. They’re not perfect. They can let you down.” Rather than just using it as a tool for education, people are using it to source day to day materials, interactions, and even personal issues. Artificial intelligence can understand circumstances, but never the degrees to which these circumstances matter. This is why, it not only continues the long de-progression of the human intellect seen in other sectors of computer usage, but also deepens the dependencies on human interaction. Without human interaction, the spread of information is not a journey of self accountability.

I really like this idea that the disconnect between people is actually due to the advancement of technology in our lives rather than artificial intelligence being used more and more. Disconnections have always been a thing in my opinion regardless of the internet or not. However, with the introduction of the internet it allowed for access to so many more things all with a click of a button allowing people to stay home and not necessarily need to go out and this is when the disconnection started happening. When more and more technology advances more and more disconnection happens such as doordash. With the introduction of doordash and other similar apps people have less need to go out of their homes now that even their own food is coming to them. These little things cause more and more disconnection. AI does not do nearly as much damage as these other resources but due to it being the newest thing more fear is put with it.This is an interesting point. I feel like people were more susceptible to misinformation before the introduction of social platforms and online information. 100 years ago you could not get nearly as much information on certain topics especially political ones. This was the whole basis of propaganda, allowing only certain information through. However with the introduction of social platforms and online resources of information more and more information is allowed to be reached and even if some of it is propaganda you have so many that you can easily find out if it is true or not with a little more research. AI simply helps with this research. It is an extremely quick shortcut to finding information and it's being demonized because of it. There is no problem with shortcuts because one way or another you would get this infromatioin and you still get links to sources and other things if you want to do your own personal research.

Originally posted by Lebron on May 29, 2025 14:04

AI weapon systems would be extremely destructive if introduced into warfare. While AI soldiers might cause a decrease in the casualties of human soldiers, the destruction they cause would undoubtedly result in massive loss of life. War involving AI weapon systems would be much longer and more destructive due to several factors. Firstly AI doesn’t sleep, get fatigued, get hungry or thirsty or feel emotions. Because AI doesn’t need the basic needs that humans do, war can be waged nonstop for extremely long periods of time. Due to AI’s lack of emotion they would not hesitate like human soldiers during certain events. AI would kill anyone it perceived to be an enemy instantly, even if they were a child. This is obviously a decision a human would hesitate to make. AI would also do something like bombing a building full of civilians just to kill an enemy. AI’s lack of emotions would also make them impervious to PTSD and never lose moral when fighting. The lack of these things would cause wars to be fought with consistent high levels of intensity even after years of fighting. AI would also lack any feeling of defeat and would never surrender unless explicitly told to do so. This means that AI soldiers would continue to be dangerous and a constant threat if the group that made them didn't want to lose the war. This means that AI could cause destruction even decades after the conclusion of a war. For these reasons AI weapon systems would cause widespread destruction and death if introduced into warfare.

Overall, I agree with this view of the use of artificial intelligence in warfare; the things that would make an AI soldier different from a human is what would make it more likely and less hesitant to take a life. The point this person made about AI carrying out the orders given to them even decades after the war ended is somewhat far-fetched, but still possible. In the scenario that two warring states use weaponized artificial intelligence against one another can very possibly lead to a case of mutually assured destruction, with neither side emerging as the victor. It is also possible that in the process of this mutually assured destruction, both sides lose the ability to retain control of their respective AI’s, causing them to continuously carry out the last order given to them. Militaries across the world, and especially that of the United States, are likely to soon begin investigating the uses of AI in warfare, if they are not already. It is imperative that we as the people that military is to protect, make sure that the use of AI in this setting does not get to a point where it can take life autonomously.

Originally posted by ilovemydog34 on May 29, 2025 13:47

AI is taking over how we used to do things and is evolving everyday. Eventually I could be the future but we must look at what it is now and how it still has detrimental effects on society. Currently AI is presenting the biggest threat in education. This is particularly the case in high schools because that is where children are most equipped with technology. Young people are extremely impressionable and with the new introduction of AI, it makes it hard for them to be able to say no to using it when their peers are also using it. With this being said, there are issues within our educational system that make this tool so commonly and incorrectly used by students. The easiest way to use AI is on assignments that are more “busy work” than anything else. This is because students feel as though this does not mean they are not learning, they are just not doing the assignments that feel like they have no purpose at all. This can also go both ways, if the schools were not giving so much work that felt pointless to students, then they likely would not feel the need to rely so much on AI. If the work was purposeful, then the students would realize how much time and effort teachers put into teaching this material so hopefully morally they would realize it is wrong to use AI. The question is is the use of AI always wrong? The answer is no, AI can be very helpful and help teach and give examples in other ways but the reality is that most students are not using it in this way and they are using it to get assignments done quickly. There are certainly some students who use it morally but when it becomes late at night and the temptation to use it is strong, it is hard to force yourself to do it when it is simply so easy and accessible. This can lead to AI then shaping our views and our opinions on things when in class discussions rather than actually thinking for yourself and this is quite scary because critical thinking is where a lot of new ideas and discoveries occur for students and help them grow as learners. Many students may not know how to use AI other than for copying and pasting homework questions in and getting out an answer, that is why a course where the background and facts about AI are taught would be so helpful for students and potentially stop them from making bad decisions regarding their AI use.

I agree with the statement the AI is dangerous to young people because of their impressionability and that most of the reason why it is used in school is because of the busy work we get as students. I can relate to this feeling that I don't need to really do certain work because of how pointless some tasks feel. Especially going to a school like BLS when the work feels never-ending AI can help relieve some of that stress on assignments that may not be as important as others. I agree with your statement that this goes both ways, if schools assigned more meaning full tasks rather than busy work students would use less AI. A course in the background of AI would serve education well and would allow students to get a deeper understanding as to when to use AI, and create more awareness surrounding this new technology. The more we talk about it the better, AI is something that will continue to grow and be affect our society so equipping students with the ability to navigate usage and determine when and when not to use it will be beneficial in terms of education.

Originally posted by msbowlesfan on May 29, 2025 13:58

I think that with the increasing number of artificial intelligence chatbots, more parasocial relationships form and more people will turn to it for medical or psychiatric help. We have already seen disturbing stories online about deep fakes and humans connecting with AI, and it will likely only get worse as it develops. The development of artificial intelligence in things like images and videos has been exponentially increasing just in the past few years. Early AI could be easily pointed out in the media because of how fake and bad it looked, but nowadays it’s becoming increasingly more accurate and realistic. Soon it may get to the point where propaganda could be created with AI and we would not be able to distinguish if it is real or fake, which is extremely dangerous considering how fascist societies relied so heavily on propaganda. In terms of other uses, because AI has access to all free online information about medicine and mental health, it could be commonly used in the future as psychiatrists or doctors for people who maybe can’t afford these necessities. There have been multiple cases of AI insisting that it is a licensed psychologist/psychiatrist and cases of people turning to AI as a source of companionship, both platonically and romantically. A few months ago there was a young boy who committed suicide in order to “be with” his AI chatbot girlfriend, and while most people aren’t killing themselves because of AI, the romantic aspect of these relationships is still a real thing. The people who engage in these relationships become isolated from the real world and from real people, confiding in robots that are just code spewing back what people want to hear. These parasocial relationships can be dangerous to not only the users health, but potentially real people that the AI is imitating. Some people are already convinced that they’re in loving relationships with strangers on the internet and won’t hesitate to stalk or confront the people they’re obsessed with in real life. AI bots might solidify these feelings even more which could put anyone on the internet at risk.

I thought this writer's points were very strong, and I liked how he connected AI to the topics we have been learning about all year such as propaganda and fascism. It was a good connection that could have been dove into deeper with examining the shift to the right combined with this new use of AI as propaganda and the destruction that could create. I thought his points were clear but could have been explored a bit further with less intro. I also enjoyed how he implemented his outside knowledge and research of AI into his opinion. I would like to know a little bit more about the point of how this heightens parasocial relationships because it is a comment that I have been thinking about. If you could create a chat bot that looks and acts like a celebrity, they would have enough information to do that, and that could have serious mental repercussions. The obsession that people have with online figures is absurd and will only be worsened with this new technology. Overall it was a really good post I just wish some of the points were a expanded upon a little further.

Originally posted by haven3 on May 29, 2025 11:23

The greatest problem with AI in education is the elimination of learning. Kids have cheated since the dawn of time, however, with AI these issues are heightened because it is so much more accessible. Furthermore, since it has that off-limits nature to it, people are more inclined to use it not as a tool but as an end all be all. I skimmed the BPS draft proposal and I think their understanding that we need to implement AI into education, and educate people on how to use it will be incredibly beneficial. By valuing a human focused approach, with AI as a tool kids, especially the younger generations can use AI to help improve their learning. Currently with AI being used by some to write entire papers or do all the problems on their math homework it’s limiting the actual learning. If we continue down this route, not looking at how AI explains the problem, just skipping to the answer, or not reading over the work it has created you never learn. Our brains aren't fully developed and school is one of the ways that our brains develop. It teaches us how to problem solve, and use our previous knowledge to solve new problems. These are valuable skills that we must learn. Another issue with the current use of AI in schools is that it’s unfair. Last year the kid who was sitting to my left for the Spanish final exam put his paper under the desk and took a photo of it, sending it to Chat GPT. And obviously I didn’t say anything because of the unspoken solidarity between students but it made me irritated. I was sitting there trying to conjugate the imperfect subjunctive while he was breezing through the exam. Additionally, most teachers either let AI slip by or cannot identify when it is being used. Therefore kids who don’t do the work are never punished, and are graded the same way with kids who did the work. This is why I believe it is necessary to implement AI into our education system, there will always be cheaters, but if you teach kids how to use it beneficially, it will reduce the amount.

I mostly agree with the points being made in haven3's response, I think that there are a lot of students that do use AI in extreme ways like cheating on tests or having it do all the work for them, and their learning is definitely affected. The focus should be using AI to assist, not becoming reliant on it. To their point about unfairness, maybe I'm biased because I use AI sometimes too, but I don't feel like I have an edge over other people. This may be just because I don't completely rely on it to do all my work for me but like they said, kids have always cheated, and AI is just another tool for cheating. Basically, what's the difference between using AI to cheat versus using anything else to cheat? Is using AI any more unfair than just searching up the answer? I personally don't think so.

Originally posted by Estalir on May 29, 2025 11:02

It is not exactly wrong to allow AI to influence our thoughts because as it is right now AI is simply a tool to get information quickly. All it is doing is gathering the info that you could have found if you research in other methods. While there is a fear that the AI could be biased due to the coding it may have but that is still the same with other internet resources. AI is better if anything because it can gather all sorts of information from multiple places and present it to you rather than looking at only sources you can find that could not contain all the information possible. Teachers who use AI should face the same reproductions as the students because at the end of the day it is creating the same problem. People are worried that people in the future will not be as smart or as capable as we are today; however, most jobs have already normalized the usage of AI in their workplace, like teachers. Many teachers nowadays will use AI to create assignments and/or grade work. This is simply the same way students use AI; to do tasks that they simply don’t want to do. If we are to punish a student for using AI on a homework assignment then it is only fair to punish the teacher for using AI to grade the assignment because the punishment right now is given in order to prevent the usage of AI simply for us to use AI when we reach another level. However, most jobs won’t stop the usage of Ai simply because it’s too big of a current thing. Rather than punishing and banning AI completely we should instead be embracing it by teaching educational ways to use it. Similarly to when the internet came out and made libraries obsolete. Many people did not like this because they deemed books more credible but with time we adapted and now the internet is commonly used for many things. This is simply another evolution and what we need to do is embrace it and not hate it.

I like the idea of embracing AI rather than shunning it and those who may misuse it. I especially like the example provided of how many were hesitant to be dependent on the internet rather than libraries as books were deemed more reliable. Now as a society we have fully shifted towards internet usage and rely on it for many aspects of our lives. I believe that society can shift towards using AI correctly with proper education and information on how to use it in a way that will not harm one’s learning or critical thinking. Yet, it may be naive to think that society is capable of this, especially now that many have become reliant on AI and are comforted by its “benefits”, which may harm their complex thought development in the future. If there were proper restrictions on AI websites and an emphasis on public speaking / discussions in class, society may be able to handle the effects of AI. In the end, AI misuse will always be a temptation.

Originally posted by Estalir on May 29, 2025 11:02

It is not exactly wrong to allow AI to influence our thoughts because as it is right now AI is simply a tool to get information quickly. All it is doing is gathering the info that you could have found if you research in other methods. While there is a fear that the AI could be biased due to the coding it may have but that is still the same with other internet resources. AI is better if anything because it can gather all sorts of information from multiple places and present it to you rather than looking at only sources you can find that could not contain all the information possible. Teachers who use AI should face the same reproductions as the students because at the end of the day it is creating the same problem. People are worried that people in the future will not be as smart or as capable as we are today; however, most jobs have already normalized the usage of AI in their workplace, like teachers. Many teachers nowadays will use AI to create assignments and/or grade work. This is simply the same way students use AI; to do tasks that they simply don’t want to do. If we are to punish a student for using AI on a homework assignment then it is only fair to punish the teacher for using AI to grade the assignment because the punishment right now is given in order to prevent the usage of AI simply for us to use AI when we reach another level. However, most jobs won’t stop the usage of Ai simply because it’s too big of a current thing. Rather than punishing and banning AI completely we should instead be embracing it by teaching educational ways to use it. Similarly to when the internet came out and made libraries obsolete. Many people did not like this because they deemed books more credible but with time we adapted and now the internet is commonly used for many things. This is simply another evolution and what we need to do is embrace it and not hate it.

Hi Estalir,

I think you are correct that AI currently isn’t providing information that is much different than one could find oneself online, only quicker. The information, just like most online sources, is likely to be biased – so I agree that it is unfair to call AI worse than other internet sources because it is biased, as all sources are biased. However, I think the problem comes down to the fact that because AI is able to find the “right” information so quickly, it could make its users' attention span and patience decrease (and we are already in an attention span crisis). Additionally, there is the possibility that soon AI could produce information that you couldn’t have found online, as researchers are working to create AGI (Artificial Generative Intelligence) which would be able to synthesize its own thoughts. This is an idea that I find especially terrifying. I also agree that teachers should be punished as students are when using AI, for the same reasons you provided. However, I disagree with your last statement that we need to embrace the evolution of AI technology. While AI is certainly here to stay and we can’t ignore it, I also think we don’t need to embrace using AI in every aspect of our life in which it could be helpful. We did that for the internet and social media, and yes there have been benefits, but also great repercussions. I think it would be better to approach AI with some caution and policy restrictions, so that we know the full consequences before taking the dive and fully embracing it.

Originally posted by frozencoffee127 on May 29, 2025 13:32

AI is becoming a staple in our society, and everyday, you hear somebody mention something about ChatGPT. People have not only incorporated it into their daily lives, but they have become reliant on it, which poses a question about where society is going with AI’s presence. We run the risk of becoming less intelligent, that is, we run the risk of losing interest in the things that are intellectually stimulating due to accessibility of AI. It most likely will not be the case for everyone, but there may be a trend where people don’t seek out educational endeavors or experiences that allow them to grow due to the fact that information will be so widely available. This could feed into anti-intellectualism and could ultimately lead to a destruction of many systems that are currently in place, but that is in a very extreme case that we will hopefully take steps to avoid. It is also important to address the fact that many people use AI to replace human interaction, as many apps like Snapchat have incorporated AI into their programs, and others are entirely based in AI conversations with fictional characters. This may be good in some cases, like if somebody can’t afford therapy and needs someone, or in this case something to talk to in order to get their feelings out. However, even though there may be some positives to this aspect of AI, there is definitely concern surrounding how people will develop socially if conversing with an artificial chatbot becomes normalized. Humans are social creatures by nature, and though there are a multitude of reasons why people may not interact with others, using AI as a substitute does not help the problem and may just make it worse. There is a dystopian aspect to using AI for comfort, and I think that some people may use it to completely replace human relationships. It is very easy to get wrapped up in the extremes of a hypothetical situation, and while AI definitely poses a threat to human emotion, sociability, and productivity, the likelihood of the vast majority of people being engulfed by the influence of AI seems, at this point, lower than some make it out to be. So, while AI is definitely emblematic of a complete and utter shift in our society as we know it, it may not be a large issue for us right now. However, we should take the steps in order to ensure that we maintain our humanity.

Hello frozencoffee127,

I really enjoyed your response and I feel as though we shared many of the same points in ours! I definitely agree that people are beginning to become reliant on AI and I think that is because its use is so easy and so accessible. It simply takes copy and pasting to get an assignment done that could have taken you hours to do otherwise. I also am fearful that people will be less likely to care and put as much effort into their education when the reliancy of it only continues to grow. People may find that AI is teaching them “better” than their teachers but in reality it is just quicker and easier but likely they are not learning as much as they would if a teacher who has a degree and genuine interest in the subject would. I agree that the outcome of this could be the destruction of many fields such as studying medicine and science because of the rise of anti-intellectualism. The thought of AI replacing human interaction is something else I brought up in my response due to the scary and the realness of this, if people continue to turn to it for everything, they will find it is likely easier and not realize the impact human interaction has on one. Overall, I really enjoyed your response and felt there were a lot of good points made that were similar to mine!

Originally posted by msbowlesfan on May 29, 2025 13:58

I think that with the increasing number of artificial intelligence chatbots, more parasocial relationships form and more people will turn to it for medical or psychiatric help. We have already seen disturbing stories online about deep fakes and humans connecting with AI, and it will likely only get worse as it develops. The development of artificial intelligence in things like images and videos has been exponentially increasing just in the past few years. Early AI could be easily pointed out in the media because of how fake and bad it looked, but nowadays it’s becoming increasingly more accurate and realistic. Soon it may get to the point where propaganda could be created with AI and we would not be able to distinguish if it is real or fake, which is extremely dangerous considering how fascist societies relied so heavily on propaganda. In terms of other uses, because AI has access to all free online information about medicine and mental health, it could be commonly used in the future as psychiatrists or doctors for people who maybe can’t afford these necessities. There have been multiple cases of AI insisting that it is a licensed psychologist/psychiatrist and cases of people turning to AI as a source of companionship, both platonically and romantically. A few months ago there was a young boy who committed suicide in order to “be with” his AI chatbot girlfriend, and while most people aren’t killing themselves because of AI, the romantic aspect of these relationships is still a real thing. The people who engage in these relationships become isolated from the real world and from real people, confiding in robots that are just code spewing back what people want to hear. These parasocial relationships can be dangerous to not only the users health, but potentially real people that the AI is imitating. Some people are already convinced that they’re in loving relationships with strangers on the internet and won’t hesitate to stalk or confront the people they’re obsessed with in real life. AI bots might solidify these feelings even more which could put anyone on the internet in danger.

Hi msbowlesfan!

I love your response! I completely agree with the dangers of forming relationships with AI and the ways society uses it. I think your point about fascist regimes using it as a form of generating propaganda is incredibly important to think about especially in the context of the volume of trusting relationships that people have formed with AI. Do you think we could ever reach a point where humans are so reliant on these machines for connection that they would trust AI propaganda even if they know it was generated artificially?

I also agree with the problems that AI relationships present to social health insofar as they isolate us from real human beings. I think it could be interesting to think about how the parasocial relationships people have already formed are influenced by AI and the internet age. Does it make us more likely to believe that we are in relationships with people we don’t know in reality? The connection between your point on AI claiming to be a licensed psychologist and parasocial relationships is also incredibly interesting as it could lead to a feedback loop in the future where people who are seeking help with such relationships can only turn back to the source: AI. I think all of your arguments are going to be incredibly important to think about as we go into the future!

Originally posted by lightbulb89 on May 29, 2025 14:00

I believe that AI will never be able to truly replace humans. There are many things that humans have that AI will never be able to recreate. For example, trusting your intuition/gut, adaption, creativity, feeling sympathy, etc. As far as science and technology goes, I don't think that AI will ever be able to recreate human feelings to the fullest extent. With AI replacing humans in jobs, I believe that there will be a high risk of becoming “dumber” as a society. In my opinion, AI could be used for the better right now, but many people are abusing the power that they feel from using AI. I believe that once AI becomes more powerful and is used in warfare, there will definitely be misuse of AI. A role of humanity to play the “creator” would have obligations of obviously using it for the better good of humanity. I also think that if people want to be the “creator” then there should be some limitations and it shouldn’t just be a free for all, whoever wants to be a “creator” can just be one. There should be a permit you have to get in order to use an AI bot correctly. I disagree with the idea of AI replacing human interactions. I believe as humans that is part of our purpose to interact with one another and develop healthy relationships. With AI in the picture, I believe that this would defeat the purpose and potentially destroy humanity as it is. On that note, I believe that AI as a form of comfort is extremely dystopian. Like I mentioned before, I believe that humans' purpose is to interact and exist among each other. While using AI as comfort you are supposed to have with a human being is extremely dystopian.

Hi lightbulb89!

I really enjoyed reading your response; it was very well thought-of, and you seemed to have an educated opinion that strengthened your argument.

I think I definitely agree with your initial argument, AI will never be able to fully replace humans, and I think offering AI to that position is dangerous and takes away a lot of our values that make us uniquely human. While technological advancements correspond to intelligence in many cases, I think that AI replacing human fields makes us look "dumber," as something we have created is able to take our place. I think there are many consequences to having artificial intelligence in many fields, for example AI does not need to be paid, which can crash the economy and take away from the lower and middle class workers that benefit from their jobs. I think your point on human interaction was very well put, as humankind structures itself on their interactions and our language, empathy, and creativity truly sets us apart from other animal species. As we are already seeing, further developments in AI and other assistive technology takes away from the aspects of our world that make human experience so unique, which is why AI cannot and should not ever be in replacement for a human's life.

Originally posted by SharkBait on May 29, 2025 13:58

In the past few years, AI’s use in an academic setting has sharply increased, which can be attributed to the varying barriers between different groups of students including social class and accessibility. Due to these barriers, as well as the difficulties that follow legislating against its use, I believe that AI should solely be a tool in the classroom rather than a replacement. AI’s relatively recent use in schools can be attributed to the lack of interest and motivation found in students of this generation, which is a direct and indirect result of the rise of technology in our society as a whole. As the attention span of students continues to decrease, many turn to technology to get their work done or keep them entertained. This turn ends up harming actual learning and continues this cycle of returning to AI in order to cure the problem of an uninterested student that dives deeper than the symptoms on the surface, as AI was designed to suit the needs of students that continuously use it. In “Everyone’s Using AI To Cheat at School. That’s a Good Thing,” Tyler Cowen writes that “as current norms weaken further, more students learn about AI, and the competitive pressures get tougher, I expect the practice to spread to virtually everyone.” Furthering Cowen’s point, the use of AI in schools has become universal and almost inevitable as it is accessible and normalized. Given this idea, I believe that we as a society should take advantage of the spread of AI and instead use the knowledge we have to educate ourselves on its uses and its consequences. For many students, the school system that prioritizes quantitative education such as grades and test scores poses a challenge for many students and AI often offers an outlet for much of that stress. Additionally, it is extremely important to note that there are students who are unable to afford tutoring and further teaching, which is why AI should be used in a way that benefits students without hindering their ability and drive for learning. If students and teachers actively make an effort to have AI as an option rather than a replacement for other tools, AI will actually be used less I believe, as students will learn how to use it correctly, and there will be less stigma around its use. Ultimately, I believe that the use of AI in schools is nearly impossible to avoid, but by educating students and teachers on the “dos-and-don'ts” of artificial intelligence, one can hope to move away from “replicating” learning but instead aiding it with AI being in our control as an extra resource. While I believe that AI should not be incorporated fully into any form of education, its rise should be taken with caution and consideration of its consequences and possible benefits if used in a correct and knowledgeable manner.

I agree with their statement that AI should be a helper, not a doer. The overconsumption of AI can lead to the destruction of students-teacher connections if continued. Unfortunately, AI has already made its way into the classrooms through basic functions like citation generators and teachers using ChatGPT to create lesson plans. However, you make a good point that AI can be over-relied on to the point where it "replicates" what normal classroom behavior is. Yet, I enjoyed how you viewed two different perspectives. In a positive tone, you talked about underperforming students who use AI in place of hiring a tutor, something I see as ethical because not everyone can afford a tutor.Finally, you used the article, “Everyone’s Using AI To Cheat at School. That’s a Good Thing,” in your response. To emphasize society's inability to erase AI. At this point in time, I think we can all only hope AI doesn’t grow out of hand, but if AI has already made it into spaces that were historically AI free, such as school, then we may be in over our heads. Overall, I think your response is very well made, and you understand the dangers and pros of AI, as well as the articles we read in class.

Originally posted by mouse0 on May 29, 2025 13:26

With the rise of social media which is coupled with the lack of sleep younger generations experience, students are often rendered unmotivated and exhausted. At the same time, with the rise in competitive workplaces and in education, many motivated students often feel immense pressure to excel. Society needs more time. Although AI can be a solution to some of these issues, they ultimately contribute to its intensification. AI is proven to be a useful tool, and at times for learning if used correctly. AI, however, may encourage people to continue their unhealthy social media habits since they are comfortable knowing that their work will be done in an instant with AI. On the other hand, many busy students utilize AI to ease the effort of formulating complex thoughts, like for writing, for an assignment and are then met with relief knowing they saved possibly more than an hour of work. AI has become a tempting resource for many, despite it impacting the learning process and fueling phone use, all of which will harm you in the future. In an article written by economist, Tyler Cowen, Cowen explains how the use of AI will impact overall work quality in the future and valuable skills needed in schools and the workplace, “The current system is misleading students about the skills they will need to succeed in the future, and providing all the wrong incentives and rankings of student quality.” (Cowen 3). On the other hand, it is unethical for teachers to use AI when grading certain assignments. When analyzing student thought, teachers must be able to interact with the work using the expertise they have gained over the years and not AI. It is essential that we maintain human connection in schools rather than have a machine replace it. Yet, AI can be used for grading multiple choice responses, yet it must not be able to provide feedback. Teachers also play another role for students and their use of AI. Many teachers who refuse to change their teaching methods and are unwilling to listen and digest student feedback facilitate the use of AI in their class. Students may then not be learning efficiently in their class, so they turn to AI to either complete assignments they do not understand or to learn from it to do better in the class.

I like how you focus on not just the education aspect of the ethics of AI, but also how outside factors such as social media are impacting students. As someone who barely uses social media, the times I do use it leaves me exhausted, even if I only use it for an hour or two. The two sides of the argument that you provide are ideas that I agree with. AI can be beneficial and impact students in a positive way, it's just that nobody truly knows how to utilize it properly. Cowen's statement on the skills students need to succeed is both true and false. There are aspects that schools such as BLS do well at when it comes to preparing students, such as the way the school itself is run, but there are skills that need to be expanded upon for students to do well. These range from being capable of communicating with others, to expanding on critical thinking. One can even go as far to say that schools need to allow students more creativity. Your opinions on when teachers should use AI are practically identical to my own. We already use AI to grade multiple choice, and that can stay that way. When it comes to feedback, however, teachers should be the only ones providing it. If teachers were to make adjustments to their teaching methods, then that could be the start in the reduction of the use of AI from students. Whether it happens or not, it would be interesting to see how teachers change their methods of teaching with the rise of AI.

Originally posted by clock27 on May 29, 2025 13:53

I think some things are so uniquely human that AI cannot replicate them. For example, you can’t build a real connection with AI. Even if it sounds real and it sounds like you’re talking to an actual person, or friend, it still isn’t real. In the back of our minds we’ll always know this so it won’t actually help you learn how to talk to people because there’s no fear there. Building relationships should be difficult, there should be ups and downs, and there should be things that hurt or mistakes that are made because this is how we learn and grow. It doesn’t have emotions and can’t feel any way about you. This is shown very explicitly in a paper by River Page, “Your Chatbot Won’t Cry If You Die,” where she highlights the effects of talking to AI as a form of therapy. Something really interesting in this reading that stuck out to me was her point about AI lacking human features that we dislike. People can be judgemental and often say the wrong things -- something we don’t wanna hear in a moment of vulnerability. That being said, AI is appealing because it can basically tell you whatever you want to hear. That is what it does. One part of this that made a little more sense to me was the idea that people might go to AI for therapy so that they don’t have to bore or bother their own friends with life problems. While this seems like a more reasonable reason to go to AI, it still hinders your ability to approach people in the real world. Your friends are there for you and if we turn to AI at any minor inconvenience, we’ll forget how to ask for help and think critically.

Critical thinking is also an important skill to have for people in any job or just daily life. Math seems like a good example of this. Math ismeant to build your problem solving skills and it’s meant to be challenging. You’re meant to think and you’re meant to get stuck. This is how we learn, and in the end, there’s a very nice sense of accomplishment. Without this, people are going to become dumber and lazier. People are going to forget how to do things on their own, but they’re also going to be less willing to try when the option to turn to AI is all around them. As of right now, I don’t think AI is hurting our abilities to think or our abilities to have human empathy, but it will pose a problem in the future. If restrictions aren’t put on applications like ChatGPT, or if people aren’t taught how harmful overusing it can be, then machines will take over our society. We cannot choose to rely on an algorithm that is not human.

Hey clock27,

I really liked your response. I agree with you that AI can not replace human connection. I also really liked your points about how things in life are supposed to be hard and that's how we get better at things. I agree that ai is making it harder for us to do hard things when an easier solution is available to us. I think that it is really important for us to maintain critical thinking skills and the ability to work hard. I think that ai does have the capacity to aid in work, but it poses a risk of being something that replaces us and our work. I also liked your point that ai removes the things we don’t like from talking to people by telling us what we want to hear. I think that this is a big problem because it might prevent people from forming actual connections with other people when they can talk to a robot that will validate everything that you say to it. Overall I believe that people often do not do well in life when they are given nothing but positive feedback and reinforcement.

Originally posted by abcd on May 29, 2025 13:57

All large companies in modern capitalistic society are around for the primary purpose of making money, and this often comes at the exploitation or manipulation of the users/consumers. AI companies like ChatGPT are no different. ChatGPT and other AI applications are programmed to maximize user satisfaction, so that the user becomes increasingly reliant on and comfortable with AI. A future in which AI becomes addictive, just like social media has become for many, is therefore not hard for me to imagine. What’s terrifying about this possibility is that mass addiction to AI would disrupt the world like never before. There would be a massive use of energy, contributing to the already pressing climate crisis. Additionally, the more we use AI, the more it has the potential to replace many doctors, therapists, teachers, tutors, and even mechanical jobs. This loss of jobs, which is already underway, would be devastating to the economy.

However, there are some seemingly immediate benefits to increased availability of AI: those who cannot afford therapy or tutors can use AI to receive similar services for free. Well I do not want to minimize this helpful impact, I also think it is important that our overall society focuses on restructuring the systems of therapy, education, and healthcare to be accessible and effective for all, instead of using AI to patch up an already broken system. This way, people can get the help they deserve, without the detrimental environmental impact and loss of jobs. (Though I admit this is idealistic).

The same concept applies on a smaller scale to interpersonal relationships. Using AI for comfort and as a friend is a temporary solution, but does not help the problem of a lack of genuine human connection and accountability that many face. Instead, taking the harder route of working towards genuine relationships, through the challenges, is going to ultimately be more satisfactory than using AI as a companion. The article Your Chatbox Won’t Cry If You Die says, “Humans are unpredictable. They might patronize you; they might ignore you; they might manipulate you. The computer won’t, unless you ask it to: As one person who participated in the Eliza trial said at the time, ‘The computer doesn’t burn out, look down on you, or try to have sex with you.’” This is true, but it neglects one key point: the imperfections of humanity is what makes relationships so special. We don’t have friends because we expect they will never let us down. Instead, we have friends knowing that sometimes they will let us down, but the good friends will apologize and work to change their behavior. It is that effort to improve that helps make a relationship real.

Post your response here.

I agree that AI cannot replace human connection because it lacks imperfections that people have. I don't think that AI could replicate having deeply held beliefs, believing in a lie, or appreciation of small things, all of which is part of what makes us human. Connecting this to your point about AI replacing jobs, I believe the human element is what makes social jobs, such as therapists or teachers, unreplaceable by AI. A therapist may joke about an uncomfortable topic or talk about a lesson they learned as a child to connect with their patient, but an AI will only use what other therapists and philosophers thought and wrote. Many teachers are looked up to for their personality and how they share unrelated topics, but an AI could only replicate their teaching style. These small things create experiences and connections between people, which I feel is some of the shortcomings of AI.