“Write me a poem about grief. Explain the entirety of the French Revolution. How do you solve this equation?”
In the click of a button, answers to prompts like these are available in seconds through AI chat programs like ChatGPT.
In August 2024, OpenAI said that 200 million people use ChatGPT weekly. But as AI continues to soar in popularity, what are U students thinking about the technology?
Freshman and graphic design major Harper Nagel said he’s seen the effects of AI in education and been taught about it in class. He said his English 2010 class largely focused on AI and writing.
The responsible use of AI isn’t something the U discourages. It has several resources to educate researchers, students, educators and other workers how to responsibly use AI. For example, students at the U have access to partner trainings or courses on AI. The U even uses Microsoft Copilot as its official AI chat program.
AI in the Workforce
“At the University of Utah, we believe that understanding and harnessing AI is essential for success in today’s rapidly evolving world,” the U’s page on using AI to learn says. Nagel said career success and AI are something many students think about.
“There are a number of reasons why students choose one major, but the primary reason is so they can have a successful job. It’s why the most prominent major and school at the U is business or medicine,” Nagel said. “When AI comes out of the gate with software that completely eliminates a job sector, students are going to take note and pick a job where AI may not be as effective.”
There’s plenty of speculation as to what AI’s role in the job sector will be. One 2022 Pew Research study found that 19% of Americans were in jobs where “important activities may be either replaced or assisted by AI.” The study also found that jobs with higher exposure to AI were more likely to be in high-paying fields where a college education can be a plus.
AI in Learning
AI can be useful in automating tasks, but the technology has also raised concerns about student plagiarism.
Halle Campbell, an architecture major and junior, believes that AI can be efficiently used in regards to school work. However, there are certain precautions students and others should take while using it.
“I see students unsuccessfully try to play off AI generated work as their own. I’m not against using AI in clever ways but it does need to be referenced as a resource,” Campbell said. “If it’s used to generate large portions of written and visual projects without credit, I would consider the work plagiarized.”
Other students have used AI to help better understand coursework.
Junior in chemical engineering Thomas Stewart believes that ChatGPT and other AI platforms are useful in clarifying concepts he’s learned in class.
“With the right prompt I have been able to use AI to plug the gap that inevitably arises each semester between my professor’s teaching and my understanding,” Stewart said, “In many specific math and science contexts AI still struggles to compute the precise correct answer, but many times the steps it shows provide a framework and a jumping off point for problem solving.”
Generative AI programs are far from reliable. ChatGPT has also been known to spread inaccurate information.
However, Stewart said, the fault of the AI program can inspire more research and opportunity to problem solve. Students can use AI as a starting point, but should be used as a tool and not a complete solution.
“One of my professors explained that using AI is a lot like hiring someone to install the roof on your house,” Stewart said. “You don’t have to be the one that lays down all the shingles, but you have to be able to know what a good roof looks like and identify if they leave a hole in your roof.”
Limitations of AI
Yaretzi Salmeron, a freshman business major at the U, agrees that AI can be a source for help in understanding concepts. But there are limits to what you should use it for.
“Sometimes, I don’t even have to think. I’ll just put my question into AI without actually trying to work through it,” Salmeron said. “But I also think it can be a great tool, it’s hard to find office hours or work around your schedule so AI can be like your own personal tutor.”
Salmeron said she also uses AI to help with brainstorming and articulating ideas.
“AI can help me with my writing and it’s not like math assignments, but it really helps with writing and helping get my thoughts out there and make what I write more concise,” she said.
But students like Campbell believe that AI cannot do everything.
“The role of a designer for human experiences cannot be replaced by AI,” Campbell said. “While AI can be a helpful tool, I don’t think it should become more than that.”
