ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become incredibly frequent within the past few years. As undergraduates, we are witnessing AI become increasingly integrated into our everyday lives. Instead of prohibiting the practice of AI, professors at USD should allow us to harness the skills of AI and educate us on how to use it ethically. 

AI has become a widespread tool  in  the workplace, especially in  fields such as business, engineering, computer science and healthcare. The University of San Diego’s online blog for business and entrepreneurship provides examples of how AI is used in various occupations. 

“AI enables businesses to improve operational efficiency by automating routine tasks, optimizing resource allocation and reducing waste,” USD stated. “These tools are instrumental in cutting costs and improving the bottom line.” 

The article continued to provide other benefits that AI can contribute to the business world, such as customer relationship management, employee upscaling, market research, creativity and more. In addition to using AI in business, AI has found its way into the world of medicine. St. George’s University reported on the advantages of using AI in the medical field. 

“Over the past decade, health care organizations have begun implementing the use of virtual health care assistants and chatbots to improve the quality of patient care and enhance engagement,” St. George’s University stated. “These digital health care capabilities are now leveraging AI and machine learning to improve health management tools that help patients gain access to valuable resources  and maintain  their  overall wellness.”

St. George’s University elaborated by writing that AI allows for personalized medicine, diagnostic assistance, drug discovery, medical education, clinical trial optimization and more within the field of medicine. 

Because AI is now used in the various professions that many USD undergraduates are pursuing, we should be using it to prepare for our careers instead of prohibiting it in some classrooms.

Each professor at USD has their own preferences with the use of AI when completing class material. The professor of my Communication Research Methods class expressed the prohibition of the use of AI and Chat GPT within the course. 

“Acts considered academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, fabrication of data, use of AI) are defined in the University Integrity Policy found in the undergraduate student handbook,” my professor stated. “Using AI/Chat GPT is never acceptable on papers or homework (unless I specify differently).” 

Professors have their own right to deny or approve our use of AI when dealing with classwork. I have a friend in a Global Marketing class whose professor allows the class to use AI only when generating ideas and acquiring sources, but the class is restricted in using AI for writing essays and must explicitly say when AI is used in their coursework. 

That being said, while professors  have varying opinions   on allowing for AI in the  classroom, there  are  ways to use AI ethically  when  completing class material without  crossing the boundaries of academic integrity. Incorporating ethical uses of AI such as getting feedback on material or checking grammar are ways that AI can be used without  hindering  our academic and integral growth. Professors should teach us how to credibly evaluate Chat GPT outputs. These types of outputs include: fact checks, look for bias and considering  what is not included. If we incorporate  these healthier habits into our lives at school, and avoid relying  too  heavily on AI, we can be set up for success and use AI to our advantage. 

LinkedIn, a professional social networking application, helpful for individuals to find and apply for future careers, wrote that knowledge in AI can set applicants apart from others when  it comes to applying for a job. 

“Today, the most successful job seekers aren’t just skilled but tech-savvy,” LinkedIn stated. “They use AI-powered tools to optimize applications, stand out to recruiters, and land interviews faster.”

LinkedIn continues to say that tech can give candidates an edge, providing candidates with AI-powered resume builders, interview coaches, skill-building platforms, networking enhancers and more. Additionally, LinkedIn states that no knowledge of AI can cause setbacks. 

“If  you’re  not   adapting, you’re at a disadvantage,” LinkedIn notes. LinkedIn implies that the growth of technology and that  familiarizing  yourself with Artificial    Intelligence    is  the  best way to prepare for your career. 

While there are benefits to using AI such as efficiency and applicant differentiation, there are   concerns  with    implementing AI, especially in our education. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, known for its strong research in science and engineering, wrote on the ethical concerns of using AI.

“If AI is used to complete assignments or exams or write papers, it is unfair to the students who don’t cheat, and it undermines the education and learning process for those who do cheat,” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign specified. “If students learn to cheat and take shortcuts in classrooms, what kind of citizens will they make  when they are finished with their education? Measures need to be in place to ensure that AI  is  not being used  unethically.”

Using AI to write academic course work or even using it to help fill out your homework, can be seen as plagiarism and cheating. Practicing the use of Artificial Intelligence in a dishonest way at school will not set you up for success in the future. If students are using AI to write their papers and do their homework, then they are not learning from those assignments. Instead  of  learning  to think  for  themselves, they’re letting AI think for them. 

These are serious concerns, but critical, ethical usage can allow us to stay on top of the technological advancements of sour society. AI is the future. We see it now in our daily lives, education and workforce. It would be foolish to reject Artificial Intelligence instead of learning how to work with it. We are an actively evolving society. Interacting with AI is unavoidable and we would benefit more from accepting it. It’s time to  start practicing how to use AI  ethically in academia; in the classroom, it’s better to teach students how to use AI because it will inevitably   be in our   workforce  when  we graduate. 

AI is our future, and we should start utilizing the tools in front of us and move with new advancements instead  of  pushing against them. 

AI continues to find ways to incorporate itself into our daily lives.  Photo courtesy of @cashmacanaya/Unsplash