AI tips for students

It's back-to-school time. As students of all ages return to the classroom, educators are faced with all the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can help or hinder their students' learning.

As educators and learners who follow the Lord, we want to use the AI tools that human intelligence has provided according to the values we hold dear. When it comes to AI, there are three main areas for students to remember when they feel the tug to use AI for their schoolwork.

1) The ethics of artificial intelligence

Always use AI in an ethical manner. This means being honest and responsible when it comes to using AI for school. Know your school's AI policy and follow it.

This is acting in a responsible manner. Just as schools have had policies about cheating, plagiarism or bullying for years, they now have policies about what is and is not acceptable when it comes to the use of AI tools.

Be transparent about your use of AI. For example, I knew what I wanted to say when I sat down to write this article, but I also asked Gemini (Google's AI chatbot) for an outline of things students should keep in mind when using AI. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything important. So, just like you cite sources from books, articles or websites when you use them, there are already standard ways of citing AI generated content in academic settings.

AI can never replace you. It may be a good starting point to help you get your work organized or even do some editing once you have a first draft, but no AI chatbot has your unique voice. It can't replace your own thought process, how you analyze a problem or articulate your thoughts about a subject.

2) Good ways to use AI tools (if the policy permits)

My favorite use of AI is to outline. We've all known the intimidation of staring at a blank screen just waiting for the words and ideas to flow. AI is a good way to get a kickstart on your work. It can help you brainstorm, but putting your work together should be all yours.

AI can help you when you're stumped. Perhaps a certain scientific concept you're studying has your brain in knots. AI can help untangle the mystery. There are specific AI systems designed for education that can act as a tutor, leading you out of the intellectual muck through prompting a student rather than just providing an answer.

Once you have your project or paper done, AI can assist you in checking it over, making sure your grammar is up to par or giving you suggestions on how to improve your writing or strengthen your point of view.

3) Be a critical thinker

When I used Gemini to make sure I didn't miss any important tips for this article, this is what I saw at the bottom of the screen: "Gemini can make mistakes, so double-check it." Other chatbots have the same kind of disclaimer. Take what AI generates based on your prompts with a grain of salt until you check it out. Does what it's given you make sense? Are there facts that you need to verify?

AI tools are "trained" (or pull from) vast amounts of data floating around online and sometimes the data being accessed is incorrect. Always cross-reference what a chatbot tells you with trusted sources.

Realize that AI can't do everything. AI systems have limitations. I was giving a talk about AI to a group of our sisters and gave them time to experiment. One sister asked a question using Magisterium AI, which pulls from the official documents of the church. She didn't get a satisfactory answer because official church teaching can be vague when certain issues are too complex to be explored from every side in a papal encyclical, for example.

Know the limitations of the AI system you are using. AI can't have insight and abstract thought the way we humans do, it can only simulate human analysis and reasoning.

Be protective of your data. Never put anything personal into a chatbot because that information becomes part of what the bot learns from. The same goes for confidential information. When in doubt, don't give it to an AI chatbot!

The main thing for both students and teachers to remember is that AI tools are meant to help and enhance learning, not to avoid the educational experience and growth in human understanding.

The recent document from the Vatican addressing AI, "Antiqua et Nova," states, "Education in the use of forms of artificial intelligence should aim above all at promoting critical thinking."

"Users of all ages, but especially the young, need to develop a discerning approach to the use of data and content collected on the web or introduced by artificial intelligence systems," it continues. "Schools, universities, and scientific societies are challenged to help students and professionals to grasp the social and ethical aspects of the development and use of technology."

Let's pray that students and teachers will be inspired by the Holy Spirit to always use AI from hearts and minds steeped in the faith of Jesus Christ.