Written by Brody Golder-Marinari, May 1st, 2025
It is safe to say that AI has changed the world forever. It is also clear that the existence and advancement of AI has affected the human psyche of anyone exposed to the internet. AI serves as a catalyst for homework and resume writing/reviewing, it rapidly spreads information and misinformation, it can even be a therapeutic outlet for the mentally ill.
AI has clearly made its way through the schooling system, warmfully embraced by students, and forced upon teachers. Students use AI more and more each week, and according to the Michigan Virtual Research Institute, it’s working. Students who use AI, on average, have higher grades, in each subject, than those who use it less or not at all. The only subject exceptions in this study are English, Physical Education, and barely, Social Studies. However, the use of AI is still greatly beneficial on a high school level. The concept “grade inflation” has started to plague high schools nationwide, where many students are achieving high grades, through the use of AI. This does two things. Like all other inflation, it reduces the value of an A, if so many more students are achieving it. It also misrepresents the students’ abilities, since they are more focused on perfecting the AI response than a nuanced, or in some subjects, the correct, answer. So the use of AI in high school is reducing the reputation of the prestigious A, and reducing the merit of students.
Although it has ultimately negative effects, as seen with Michigan, AI usage is incentivized. There is a psychological phenomenon that can be applied here, called “social proof”. Whenever an individual witnesses another individual complete a task in an easier fashion, the first individual wants to copy that same behavior. This is generally beneficial for a species, optimizing tasks and challenges as the community learns more. This can be seen in the mounting AI usage in schools, when one student gets away with AI plagiarism, other students are more likely to do the same. However, this response to AI usage, especially in school, is incredibly harmful for the newer generation, and future generations. As this plagiarism slowly infects the majority of students, it dismisses cognitive function, critical thinking, and the need for literacy.
Another psychological effect can be applied here, the Google Effect, as seen in the fascinating study Sparrow et al. (2011). The Google Effect is the idea that individuals remember less information when they know that same information is readily available. This is extremely topical with search engines, and can also be applied to spelling and autocorrect. You likely don’t remember how to spell difficult words because you can just type a word that is close enough and have autocorrect do the rest. This is the Google Effect. But the Google Effect was discovered and coined in 2011, way before the integration of AI into search engines. If Google evolves, one can only imagine its effect will too. The original Google Effect focused solely on memory, but now that AI can replace much of critical thinking, it’s possible that the Google Effect may now account for a lack of human memorization and cognition. To clarify, there is very little research on this.
Teachers are trying to combat these effects. In the International Baccalaureate curriculum, teachers and classes are incorporating AI. Mainly used for feedback, in classes including Literature, Foreign Language, and even Physics. This tactic saves time for the teacher and students, but the real reasoning behind it is to control how AI is used, and how much it is used. Teachers are struggling to resist the AI front, but ironically using it to help themselves by saving time, and in most cases the students as well. However, This is found in the International Baccalaureate Organization, again, in 2020 when the entire institution used AI to grade all IB Assessments and exams. These grades were wildly inaccurate, and caused an uproar in students and parents. AI further degradates students’ teachings since the IBO unfairly slashed this class’s chances for cutting edge secondary schooling.
AI is generally misleading students, and teachers are not equipped to help them, or prevent the societal problems brewing. Even the administration is struggling to keep up. ChatGPT hit the world, and schools by storm, with no one knowing the extent of plagiarism possible. Educational administrations didn’t even have guidelines in place. Since then, the policies have been developed a little more, however, there is still plenty of academic dishonesty. There are rumors that a Schoology AI will be constructed. This feature would allow teachers to control how much AI exposure their students have, simultaneously creating opportunities for the students to use it in a fair and creative environment. This is similar to the strategy many teachers already use, spoon feeding students their dose of AI to prevent an overdose or addictive developments. As helpful as this may be for students who haven’t been using AI, now allowing them to reach the same “grade inflation” AI users have, this policy still has flaws. Any student still has the ability to use an unregulated AI, although, this policy would be a helpful start in school’s AI regulation. No one knows how to stop AI. AI is ultimately damaging, but its resistance is futile.
I recognize that the tone of this article is pretty pessimistic, and I do believe that AI in its current state is more bad than good. However, I do think it has helpful and beneficial effects. So, during my research I tried to end this article on a positive note and investigate the positive effects of AI on learning. I specifically wanted to explore personalized learning with AI. The first three sources I read were written with ChatGPT. Which is ironic because I’m trying to educate people that AI is more than spreading misinformation and plagiarism. This does seem to be a fitting conclusion to my research. I do still believe that AI can be helpful in education, we just have to get there as a society. And I do believe that AI personalized learning can be immensely helpful, I just can’t find human-originated sources to support it.
Sources:
https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/artificial-intelligence-education
https://www.ucanwest.ca/blog/education-careers-tips/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-ai-in-education
https://www.powerschool.com/blog/ai-in-education
https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/ai-in-education-student-usage-in-online-learning
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