Artificially Intelligent

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concern for academics at Jefferson Academy, but a reality that is shaping classroom function, policies, and daily student life. Not only is AI on personal devices a problem, but now wearable technology, such as META glasses have been seen at JA. 

Ms. Davis, the digital teacher, librarian and tech coordinator, has noticed a very rapid progression of AI usage. AI has been dramatically advancing, offering more sophisticated responses and better reasoning. 

“AI can now analyze images, process documents, and generate increasingly human-like responses…AI morphed from the realm of science fiction to a tool that high schoolers use to help them do their science homework,” said Ms. Davis.

The number of AI users is only increasing every day. Staggering statistics like these could be a call to action on their own. 

“ChatGPT alone is now used by more than 800 million people every week, up from 500 million at the end of the March Federal Reserve. New tools emerge constantly, and what was cutting edge 6 months ago is now outdated,” Ms. Davis added.

However, Jefferson Academy has formed an AI committee to enhance teachers' knowledge and skills to distinguish AI. Shifting the focus from ‘catching cheaters’ to educating on proper usage. 

“Our philosophy emphasizes that ‘AI Should Help You Think, Not Think for You’ and asks the central question: ‘Who is doing the thinking?’” Davis explained. 

With all the new advancements in the library, including numerous usages of AI databases, that has really shaped Ms. Davis’s perspective on AI. Not only does the library have databases that aid when finding books to read, but it also has specifications for non fiction books versus fiction. 

“Since I've created AI programs for educational purposes, I'm always thinking about how AI can support students rather than replace their thinking,” Ms. Davis shared. 

Along with helpful uses of AI, there can also be more invasive ‘help’ from other websites that are now being blocked by the school firewall. Some websites slander the creativity of student writing with abrasive and drastic suggestions for writing. 

“Grammarly was originally designed as a grammar checker but now includes generative AI that can suggest heavy re-writes or create new text, that's a different purpose from basic proofreading,” Ms. Davis mentioned. “Quizlet has AI features that can generate answers and explanations…Other sites to watch: Perplexity AI, Character.AI, Claude, various "homework help" sites with AI integration, and translation tools.” 

Other instances of AI can be found in META glasses, less commonly seen, but still on the rise. META glasses are problematic in many ways such as cheating on tests and other work. However, these glasses are even more dangerous when considering a person’s privacy. 

“I have seen a pair of META glasses at JA and the primary concern is with privacy…Harvard students demonstrated using facial recognition software with these glasses to instantly look up people's names, phone numbers, and home addresses just from their face,” Ms. Davis stated.

Catherine Carter talks on how she utilizes AI for inquiries on homework occasionally. For Carter, AI is minimally used unless absolutely necessary for further clarification on specific topics and different subjects. 

“Sometimes when I get home from school and start homework I am sometimes confused on some aspects and every once in a while ask for elaboration on what specific things could imply,” stated Carter.

Aside from inquiry, Carter mentions that she uses Grammarly often which, as mentioned earlier, uses AI for corrections and other suggestions. 

“I downloaded Grammarly to my computer a long time ago, and I got a notice mentioning that they are now using AI for corrections which I honestly have found very helpful,” Carter shared.

With artificial intelligence quickly becoming part of everyday life, Mr. Fire is finding ways to bring the technology into the classroom while teaching students how to use it responsibly.

Mr. Fire explained that, “AI in school is different for different subjects and different teachers, I think it's a tool that students are gonna have to learn to use in their life. Like when Google came out, that was banned, and now that is just something expected for research papers.” 

When discussing if AI is integrated into a coding classroom Mr. Fire answered with enthusiasm.

 “Definitely! I have a course called AI entrepreneurship where students are leveraging AI to build their own vibe coded apps based on AI. I encourage students to use AI in different ways, more like an advanced Google search than cheating,” exclaimed Mr. Fire.

As some schools try to ban AI entirely, including JA, Mr. Fire believes that restriction is not a realistic solution to students today.

”The problem is that students can go home and access it there. It's more about how you integrate AI when using it. When kids are caught cheating using AI it mostly stems from overwhelmed and rushed emotions, making the AI path look easier. AI should be used to help you clarify your ideas, not get you ideas,” responded Mr. Fire.

Despite the learning benefits of AI in learning, Mr. Fire also addressed the risk students face when relying too heavily.

 “The real risk is de-skilling students per se. Students who choose to use AI for everything will ultimately lose their skill to think on their own. Practically relying on AI for everything,” warned Mr. Fire.

As artificial intelligence becomes more common in schools, students are also sharing their perspectives on how the technology should be used in education.

“AI should be used as a supplementary tool when creating something. People need to know how to use AI going forward, but for other classes, it should be limited because high school is about learning and using your skills. Constantly using AI will diminish those skills,” argued senior James Brenneman.

The line between using AI responsibly and cheating can often feel unclear to students, especially in academic settings.

“I think it depends on the context. If you’re taking a test and use ChatGPT for every question, then yes, that’s cheating. But if you use it as a study tool, then it isn’t,” shared Brenneman.

Looking at AI’s effect on student learning, Brenneman explained that the technology can either help or harm depending on how it is used.

“It definitely has the capacity to help students learn better if it’s used as a tool,” reflected Brenneman, “but if you constantly rely on AI, it will make you lazy, so you have to be careful how you incorporate it.”