“I like it most and feel most comfortable using it (ethically speaking) when consulting AI for feedback on something I have already written or assisting me in coding.”

“It will make human thinking lose value”

“If I use AI to guide me in problem solving for math or physics, I have to double check the work and correct the AI. AI code often does not work for me without errors as well. Therefore I use it mostly as a guide or a starting point, not to give me finished answers to skip my work.”

“AI is very useful in summarizing or interpreting difficult material. I often use AI to explain how to solve or understand a difficult problem, or to re-explain a complex topic from my lecture or textbook from a new perspective.”

“Using AI replaces critical thinking and creativity. It is outsourcing intelligence and memory to a machine that does not learn and improve the same way humans do. It often cannot correctly answer basic STEM questions (chemistry, math, physics), and its writing is formulaic and dull.”

“Many of my professors say to not use LLMs at all, or if we do we should cite it. But I use AI to write sentences or paragraphs for me sometimes and I’m afraid of plagiarism so I never cite it.”

“I would ask them to define clear guidelines in the beginning of class about what exactly is considered ‘AI generated content’— is it AI generated if I get a line of code from it, or if the entire block is AI generated?”

“Don’t let people use it – it’s an easy way out.”

“That especially the less technically proficient need to learn to evolve with the increased usage of AI in class.”

AI Ethics Learning Toolkit: “Does AI Harm Critical Thinking?”

• While AI enables rapid data analysis at an unprecedented speed and scale, overreliance on AI can erode an individual’ s critical thinking skills. In the higher education context, researchers have found that university students who use Large Language Models (LLMs) to complete writing and research tasks experienced reduced cognitive load but demonstrated poorer reasoning and argumentation skills compared to those students using traditional search methods. Another research study found that students using LLMs focused on a narrower set of ideas, resulting in more biased and superficial analyses.
• Ask students: “What strategies could students use to balance the benefits of AI with the need to develop their own critical thinking skills?”

Teaching What AI Can’t Touch

• “[Eileen] Chow doesn’t use the language of plagiarism in her AI conversations. She prefers to talk about the process. She pushes students to ask themselves hard questions, such as, ‘What happens when you give away the struggle of thinking? What do you lose when you shortcut the research or outsource the reading?’”

Generative AI and Teaching at Duke: Guidance for Instructors

• “It is important to note that generative AI is not technically thinking or emoting and lacks important human skills such as critical thinking and fact checking. You should not rely solely on AI to produce factual information.”

Artificial Intelligence Policies: Guidelines and Considerations

• “If you decide to allow generative AI as a tool for learning in your courses, clarify for your students the circumstances in which AI is allowable… You may discover that if you allow students to engage with generative AI, specific guidelines may need to accompany each assignment.”