From Terminator to The Matrix, fictional stories have been told with Artificial Intelligence as a general, world-ending villain. Now, with its invention and application to everyday life and technology, AI is playing a major role in dismantling integral education. Tests, essays, and worksheets are all able to be completed to high standards by different forms of accessible AI such as ChatGBT, making schools have to find new, creative ways to ensure students are doing their work honorably. Will AI be the end of what has seemed like a technological take-over in education, and will paper become the first line of defense against AI in schools?

The term “Artificial Intelligence” literally means the intelligence of computers – intelligence not from humans. However, in simplest terms, AI is computers that are able to think like people. 

This can lead to a whole host of moral and ethical issues that humans have never had to actually face in any world other than imaginary, and schools are beginning to see the start of it. One main form of AI is a program called ChatGBT, which is wreaking havoc in educational institutions due to its accessibility to the public. 

ChatGBT is AI software that was made to emulate human conversation in a question-answer style format. Its use is far more dramatic than many might realize, with the website receiving more than 1.5 billion visitors per month and having over 100 million subscribed users. Needless to say, ChatGBT is on the rise.

Such Artificial Intelligence has begun to cause major problems for schools across the US. Students are able to access these softwares and use them to generate essays that are of human caliber or greater.

Educational institutions, from middle schools to universities, have struggled with solutions to this problem. There are other softwares made to try and detect the use of AI; however, they are not 100% effective. Some think that using paper for all assignments is best; however, in an age of environmental awareness and technology, such a solution feels somehow backward. 

Despite all of this, there are some who believe AI to be a gift in all aspects, including education. “AI will enable the creation of adaptive learning systems that automatically adjust to each student's skill level and knowledge. This ensures that each student receives personalized education and is presented with challenges according to their level of competence,” states The Schiller International University.

Xaverian is working to adapt to this new age of technology in a few ways, with a general aim to accept the good and abolish the bad. As an institution, Xaverian is very aware of the challenges that AI poses. In the same breath, however, Xaverian is a fairly tech-centered school, and has always aimed to keep up with the latest in technology.

One way the school aims to combat plagiarism using AI is through a software called Turnitin. This software is used by teachers across grades and classes, and it aims to weed out anything plagiarized in writing. This has been particularly useful for English and History teachers but can be used for so many more classes than just those.

From the iPads to the cadaver table, Xaverian is no stranger to technology or its advancements. As artificial intelligence continues to grow and advance, the educational and outside world will continue to adapt to the gifts and the rules that it reaps.