Artificial intelligence is not just an emerging technology. It is changing how people learn, work and create. However, AI\u2019s adoptability has led to a key question: What are the ethical complications?\u00a0<\/p>\n
University of South Florida staff and community members came together Monday for the \u201cTeaching with AI: Embrace, Adapt or Resist?\u201d panel discussion. Held at the educational institution\u2019s Tampa campus, the event focused on how AI is transforming the educational industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John Licato, associate professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, Deepak Singh, affiliate faculty member in the Judy Genshaft Honors College and Stephanie Arthur, assistant professor of instruction in the College of Education, were the panelists. Prasant Mohapatra, USF provost and executive vice president, moderated the conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Licato and Arthur were mostly optimistic about the technology. Singh expressed that he does not support the use of AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI is here,\u201d Arthur said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going anywhere and we already recognize that our students are using it. There\u2019s no way we can put that toothpaste back in that tube. So, we are going to need to go ahead and move forward with understanding and building foundations of AI literacy in our classrooms.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
However, she emphasized that it\u2019s essential to leverage \u201cthat human-centered control for privacy and security and voice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Licato explained that AI is another tool computer science students can use to innovate and create software. For example, one of Licato\u2019s Ph.D. candidates recently developed their own text editor. This can save time and money.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AI can help teachers adapt to different learning styles, Arthur added. Lesson plans will not address the needs of every student. As an example, the technology can be utilized to help create content for individuals who do not speak English as a primary language.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Singh, who teaches writing, believes that passion can encourage individuals to create work without any assistance from AI. He argued that people should not have to delegate a task that they enjoy doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo assume that human intelligence is inferior to an artificial one is quite demeaning,\u201d Singh explained. \u201cIt\u2019s like saying eat this artificial orange when the original orange is sitting right next to it. You can use your own brain. We are being so pessimistic about human intelligence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that culture can play an essential role in a student\u2019s beliefs, especially in the arts and literature. This brings \u201cdifferent personalities into the writing.\u201d Singh believes that an author\u2019s voice \u201ccan be flat\u201d if they use AI in the creative process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When learners actually take the time to master the content, he argued, this can be invaluable. If a student uses a generative AI tool like ChatGPT to seek information, they will be less likely to remember what they read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Licato added that one of the key drawbacks of AI is that it \u201ccan replace talking to each other.\u201d This can be especially challenging when students are working on software design. He explained that when individuals develop software in the real world, the process requires extensive testing and refinement. The professor believes that AI systems cannot replace human feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Licato and Arthur agreed that the technology should be utilized in a thoughtful way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guardrails around the purpose of the course itself have to be made even clearer than they were before,\u201d Licato said. \u201cIf AI changes the purpose of your course, then shouldn\u2019t we at least think about that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arthur argued that learners should be brought into the conversation for establishing AI policies. She believes that undergraduate and graduate students \u201care very interested in sharing their voices\u201d and \u201cwant to be heard.\u201d Arthur emphasized the importance of a\u00a0\u201cdiscussion based environment\u201d that fosters community, collaboration and knowledge building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Assignments will have to change, she said. Teachers have a responsibility to model how to properly and ethically use AI. Arthur believes that the technology should be discussed in a classroom setting as early as first grade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t new,\u201d she added. \u201cWe have been addressing new technologies for decades. So, we\u2019re here again. What we learned from the last time around was that every voice should be represented.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
AI is not only shaping education, but employment as well. Arthur believes that if students can leverage emerging technologies, this can help prepare them for jobs once they graduate. She argued that this can make learners \u201cmore competitive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because it is really easy to take AI and use it to do the kind of skills that you usually give to junior employees doesn\u2019t mean you should,\u201d Licato said. \u201cThere\u2019s a phenomenon where AI is being used to write computer code. The people who are senior programmers, who\u2019ve been doing it for 20 years, use these AI tools and they\u2019re able to crank out just amazing things super quick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe junior programmers come in and see that and they think \u2018oh, I can do that too. It\u2019s magic,\u2019\u201d he continued. \u201cBut what they don\u2019t realize is the senior programmers are able to do that because they\u2019ve spent so much time writing the code themselves and debugging and finding the errors. When the AI spits out code, they kind of know where to look and find the bugs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Licato believes that it is essential to put junior employees in a position where they can make mistakes, learn and grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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