AI, artificial intelligence, has been a hot topic as of late. With the rise in popularity comes an infinite number of questions– is it safe? Is it trustworthy? Accurate? Does using AI count as cheating? Where is the line drawn? I cannot answer all of those questions. However, I can shed light on some benefits of appropriately using AI. While there are plenty of reasons to boycott these platforms, AI has been shown to increase productivity and creativity. Chatbots can act as a helpful tool in developing accommodations and modifications. Outside of specialized instruction, AI can aid in lesson planning and teaching. I started my research with Danielle Abril’s The Washington Post: AI super users have found the ultimate work hacks. The more I read about super users, the more specific questions I felt the need to explore, ultimately concluding that AI can be used for good in both the workplace and classroom.
Danielle Abril’s article, “AI super uses have found the ultimate work hacks,” focuses on the benefits of AI in the workspace. Lisa Ross, vice-president of corporate training company Avenue, claims to use AI for almost everything “to create content using specific frameworks, to prepare for tough conversations, to help with project and strategic planning, and to determine impact” (Abril). They are not the only pro-AI candidate Abril spoke to. Others use the chatbot to aid in transcripts and job interviews. Kanika Khurana said that she could train a chatbot to summarize her dictated thoughts into an appropriate document for corporate (Abril). With this newfound free time, AI users can be more creative in their work and personal lives. So, what does this mean on a larger scale? People are saving time on menial tasks; devoting that energy to more impactful work. AI users can give more time to more meaningful tasks, which could hopefully have a financial gain. Ultimately, they can develop their work at a pace faster than we can comprehend. Extra time can be spent on creativity; people can work on new and improved creations for our ever-changing demands. Instead of bringing work home, the super users can use the rest of their work for themselves.
Initially inspired by the “AI super uses have found the ultimate work hacks” reading, I wanted to dive deeper into what AI can do in terms of accommodations and modifications. Becca Chambers said, “I’ve figured out a way to mask my neurodivergence… It’s like having an accommodation that’s inexpensive and easy to use.” During my student teaching, I had a lot of hands-on experience with IEPs and 504s. I saw firsthand what it meant to tailor an assignment to meet students’ specific needs. After creating each assignment, I would think to myself how I could edit this to reach the needs of an individual? AI could be a helpful tool in this situation. Essentially, all IEPs and 504s are based on data collected throughout the past school year. That same data could be input into a chatbot, training it to automatically change a given assignment to fit into an IEP/504. In theory, a school would have to hire some kind of tech company to individualize chatbots per each student and their needs. This would have to happen yearly, or the school would need training to eventually do this on their own. I think that it could be a huge time saver and ultimately help both students and educators a tremendous amount. I do not think that AI is capable of replacing special education teachers. However, I think that a chatbot can be used to enhance their work.
As a future teacher, this got me thinking– what can AI be used for in a general education setting? I found an article by Jen Roberts on eduTopia titled “Proactively Limiting the Use of AI in the Classroom,” where she talks about using AI for lessons while also discouraging the use of it. She takes her readers through a three-step process she uses in her classroom to ensure that AI is used effectively and appropriately. First, she shows her familiarity with chatbots, “I want students to know that I am familiar with the process and outputs of an AI chatbot. I mention the things AI has helped me with lately” (Roberts). In my classroom, I would show students how I use Grammarly, showing that AI is more than generative AI. According to Roberts, step two shows them that “generative AI can be inaccurate and unreliable.” After a class reading, the class asked ChatGPT for a summary– the summary had major flaws. It is more beneficial to show the flaws of AI rather than ignoring the topic as a whole. To me, this kind of openness is vital for a productive classroom. The last step is grading an AI-generated paper. Roberts gave her students two essays with the same prompt, one was written by a student and the other by a chatbot. Students were put in groups and asked to grade both papers. It became clear that one was AI-generated. This exercise highlighted the inaccuracy of AI and discouraged students from using it while also allowing them to see a rubric/how their work will be graded.
Before the start of the semester, I was pretty unfamiliar with the world of AI. I have used Grammarly and ChatGBT, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn’t know about different kinds of AI, the thousands of different platforms, how to train an AI, or the environmental impacts. Simply put, I was ignorant. To me, it was just like looking something up, but better. I used to ask it for help with modifications of classwork or medical advice. After all of the readings we have done, I think I have scraped the surface of what artificial intelligence is. I think that AI can be a great tool for everyone: office workers, teachers, and students.