The History of AI

AI in the classroom has become a talking point among educators recently. We know that our students are using this tool in hopes of improving their grades. How doe we respond? First, let’s see how we got here.

People have imagined the idea of automated servants, soldiers, and surveillance systems for most of human existence. As early as 8^th century BCE, Homer referenced the automatic bellows of the god of smithing and craft, Hephaestus. Again, in the Odyssey, he notes that the ships of the Phaeacians obey the commands of their human masters.

By the mid-20th century, Alan Turing brought the concepts of automated robots closer to reality. He achieved this with his paper, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” In 1956, a group of computing scientists came together at Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence in 1956. Though no solid plans resulted from the project, the scientists left the meeting agreeing that artificial intelligence was, indeed, possible.

Contemporary AI

Fast forward to 2015 when Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and other investors began the OpenAI project. The project’s intention is to make sure that artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. Now, in 2024, OpenAI is ubiquitous. Anyone with an internet connection can access the program. They can also use similar programs to find answers to almost any question they have. For educators, AI in the classroom has raised questions about student plagiarism, cheating, and the goals of education.

How Are Educators Reacting?

Many of my colleague abhor OpenAI, ChatGPT, etc. They argue that students use these tools to avoid reading, learning, and studying the materials for their courses. It is a result of laziness among students, they claim. On the other hand, I have peers that allow students to integrate AI into their work with caveats or limitations. They believe that students must learn to use these tools. These tools are mechanisms that our students will have access to in their futures beyond the classroom. They use AI in the classroom to prepare their students for their future work lives.

AI in My Classroom

So, why have I decided to allow and use AI in my online classroom? The short answer is because I am an educator. My subject matter is History, but not all of my students will become historians. If they need to know who led the Provisional Government in Russia after Nicholas II abdicated, they can find that information easily. They can look it up. Understanding the ramifications of that event for Russian/Soviet and World History is much more complicated. Using AI can help them start an essay on such a topic. It can provide them with deeper concepts than they initially understood. It can also help them see where their own ideas went wrong. Of course, I do not want my students to turn in an entire essay written by an AI tool. So, how do I teach the responsible use of AI?

My way of addressing the concerns of AI are to meet them head-on. I create assignments that include AI. I have students turn in a thesis statement on a topic using AI. Then I offer feedback about how to rewrite this in their own words. Over the course of a week, I share these on a message board in the course. Students can see the various ways that the AI “voice” is awkward and non-human. They can also see how to write it better using their own “voice.”

In another assignment, I have my students answer discussion questions using AI. Then, they are asked to rewrite a peer’s response in “human voice.” The goal of his activity is to show them how they can use AI in other ways. These exercises can’t tackle all the concerns of AI in the classroom. However, I believe they can help us better educate our students. We can teach them to better understand the role and value of these tools. Because of intentional teaching with AI, instead of fighting it, our students will become more prepared for their futures.

What do you think of AI in the classroom?