“Students Speak”: Will Enquist, “In Defense Of Thinking”

Last week, “06880” introduced a new feature. “Students Speak” gives Westport students a voice on any issue important to their lives.

Today, Will Enquist looks at artificial intellgence.

A Staples High School senior, managing editor of Inklings, and a member of both the Westport Youth Commission and “06880” board, he enjoys reading the Wall Street Journal, and watching the New England Patriots “slowly regain relevance.”

He plans to major in political science, and contribute to his college’s newspaper. Will writes:

Throughout my time at Staples, I have witnessed several changes both in the local community and the broader world: our football team has become a perennial state championship contender, societal faith in “the media” has broadly decreased, and baggy clothes are now back in style.

But the most profound change — one that is certain to fundamentally change our world (if it already hasn’t) — came in the fall of my freshman year: publicly available artificial intelligence.

Overnight, students around the world (and in Westport) gained access to arguably the greatest tool for academic dishonesty ever invented.

Topic selection, research, outlining, drafting, revising — processes that usually take days if not weeks, given the rigor of a school like Staples — could now be completed with the click of a button (and a lapse in judgment).

At that point — the fall of 2022 — using AI for direct cheating on school work was largely unheard of. Early versions of ChatGPT produced crude, rudimentary and unrefined outputs.

Still, within weeks of the chatbot’s release, rumors reverberated through the halls of the first students – pioneers in some sense – who had used AI on their assignments.

Today, the relationship between Staples, AI and students is far different. The technology has exponentially improved, but so too has the effort around detection.

Teachers are hyper-cognizant of the technology, and one cannot make it 5 minutes into the first week of school without hearing a teacher clearly outline the limits on AI use in their class.

Teachers can help guide students as to the benefits — and pitfalls — of AI. (Photo/Camryn Zukowski)

Over the past 3 years, I have had many discussions with students and teachers about the role of AI in modern education. Opinions on the topic vary widely, but almost always excluded from that discussion is the question of why students use AI.

On the surface it is easy for one to think that those who turn to AI do so simply out of laziness or a desire to avoid effort. While lethargy is certainly the culprit in some cases, the term does not always apply.

At a school like Staples where academic achievement looms large, the pressure to perform can be quite high. In that environment I understand why students are willing to turn to AI as a shortcut; it’s a way to keep up when the pace of academics, sports and extracurriculars becomes too great.

But while I may be able to empathize with the reasons students use AI, I absolutely disagree with its use in replacing the skills of critical thinking that high school, and education more broadly, aim to instill in students.

To me, relying on a chatbot only adds to the pressure that can make school so stressful. Sure, AI might be able to relieve you of an especially heavy workload one evening, but in the long run the diminishment of your ability to think critically and create polished academic writing will surely catch up with you.

The central challenge of AI as it relates to students is choice. Today, each time a student sits down to complete a writing assignment, they are faced with a decision between a dishonest shortcut and a genuine effort.

I can’t force my classmates to recognize the lost opportunity that comes with using AI on an assignment. But I can say those moments of persistence – the late nights, the drafts, the rewrites, the Red Bulls – have contributed more to my growth as a student than any violation of the student handbook could.

The pride and growth that comes from completing a lengthy essay, project, or draft after numerous hours of work is something no algorithm could ever replace.

(To submit a “Student Speaks” — or for questions about this feature — email 06880blog@gmail.com. We will work with students to help craft their story. Anonymity, if requested, is assured.) 

(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. Every day, we bring you news, events, opinions, photos and much more. But we can’t do it without the support of our readers. Please click here to contribute. Thanks!)