(By Warren J. Collins ’27, staff writer)
A prominent internet feature has achieved notoriety on LVC’s campus.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become gradually more advanced over the years, and these advancements have subsequently led to millions of internet users taking advantage of its quick thinking and ability to decipher information related to practically any topic.
Once perceived as an innocent topic used in popular science fiction films such as “The Terminator” or “The Matrix,” AI has changed the ways modern-day students go about completing assignments and writing essays. However, the apparent lack of integrity posed by the concept of using AI has prompted schools, including LVC, to enforce specific regulations.
The expectations outlined in each course’s syllabus state that a student’s work must be their own, and that students must assume that AI is unacceptable in any given assignment unless stated otherwise at the discretion of a particular professor. One specific area in which AI is generally prohibited is the English department, as the foundation of that department is built on the critical thinking abilities of students.
“I have many concerns about the use of AI in educational settings,” Dr. Catherine Romagnolo, professor of English and director of social justice & civic engagement, said. “As an English professor who teaches and highly values critical thinking and writing, I fear the use of AI will erode our ability as a broad society to think for ourselves and express our thoughts in writing with nuance and precision.”
Though Romagnolo is heavily opposed to using AI as an appropriate means of completing assignments, she does not believe that AI is solely an antagonist.
“I would not necessarily say that there is no place at all for AI in education,” she said. “There may be some fields of study where it is incredibly useful; however, I feel we must move forward with this technology carefully, lest it weaken the critical thought that undergirds our civil society.”
While AI may be a way of helping students seek out ideas more clearly, LVC puts an emphasis on students having integrity in regards to their schoolwork, and merely using AI as a guide instead of solely relying on its functions.