We Asked Y(O)U Answered: AI
With AI so prominent in the world today, it’s inevitable that it would bleed into our school lives. For many, it has replaced Google as it became the go-to search engine. Many students view AI as a tool to assist in schoolwork, whether it be to simplify complex concepts in science, organize their thoughts, work through creative ideas or even aid in essay writing. Some students are hesitant to use it, fearing they may get caught for violating academic integrity. With the new school year underway, The Commentator asked YU students what their thoughts are on integrating AI in their school work.
Eliana Saibel (SCW ‘27)
Major: Psychology
“I use ChatGPT sometimes in my classes, mostly to help me study. It’s very useful for creating practice questions from my notes or turning complicated information into visuals that are easier to remember. I never use it to actually do my assignments because, to me, that defeats the whole purpose of being in class and prevents you from truly learning the material.”
Matthew Minsk (YC ‘26)
Major: Political Science and Economics
“The purpose of a college education is to amass core competency and knowledge as a foundation for progressing in a specific field. Using AI as a substitute for either undermines any value that might be gained. For that reason, to the extent that I use AI (which is minimal), it is as a more sophisticated thesaurus or search engine for finding research materials, but certainly not in place of actually reading it.”
Zoe Mankowitz (SCW ‘26)
Major: Computer Science
“AI has become unavoidable at this point. Many of my teachers are trying to promote healthy use of AI as a tool and I see the vision but it can be a slippery slope. It has become a crutch for me, while I try to avoid using it to complete whole assignments for me, I like to put my work through ChatGPT afterwards to check it. Once you start using AI it becomes harder to stop. With such busy schedules, it is easy to try and rationalize giving it assignments because of how much time it can save you. Especially for courses that are not a part of my major, I feel more comfortable using AI because the work seems less relevant for my future.”
Tali Novick (SCW ‘27)
Major: Biology and Psychology
“I find AI helpful as a learning resource for my classes, but I think it can become an issue when it starts doing your work for you.”
Ariella Noy (SCW ‘27)
Major: Studio Art
“In my school work, I mainly only use AI for explanation of things, especially a software called Notebook LM for psychology. I stopped using it to complete major assignments, but it mainly helps me make good speeches or edit them for speech class.”
Elliot Koren (SSSB ‘28)
Major: Finance
“As a new student in Sy Syms School of Business, there’s no way around it. The presence and temptation of AI is huge. When you have a tough assignment and are struggling to complete the work, it seems like ChatGPT is the only solution. This can have a devastating effect because if you just give up and let AI handle it, you will never understand the material for yourself and struggle once you reach the real world. However, contrary to popular belief, AI isn’t all bad. For example, recently I was struggling with a concept in my accounting class, so what did I do? I asked ChatGPT to explain it to me like I was a 3rd grader and it did exactly that. I entered class the next day with confidence, and this isn’t the only time AI has helped me understand new topics. There is no avoiding AI in this day and age, and that’s okay, just make sure to use it for you, not to replace you.”
Photo Caption: Student using AI for schoolwork
Photo Credit: Generated by AI (ChatGPT)
