AI Tools

If today, all of a sudden, computers stopped working, the world would crumble. Every single one of our actions and daily routines heavily depend on computers. Given that we rely on technology so much, companies and developers feel the pressure to constantly improve and keep up to date with the most recent trends. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tool that, although relatively new, has proven to be a huge help for everyone. From students to doctors and scientists, many are taking advantage of AI and its benefits. However, not everything about this tool is favorable. AI raises ethical concerns, specially when it comes to plagiarism. Artificial Intelligence does not possess all the knowledge it contains; it gathers information from various sources. Often, these sources include copyrighted content from the largest library in the world, the internet.

A lot of people are either in favor of or against AI, but at the end of the day, it is something we need to adapt to because it is inevitable.

What is AI?

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. As the name suggests, AI is the intelligent brain of a computer that can generate its own responses based on the data provided to it. At its best, AI technologies accomplish tasks that are difficult or impossible for humans to achieve on their own (Hands-on AI Ethics Guide, p. 5). AI can process information differently than humans and at a much faster speed, which is why it is being widely used to drive innovation across industries.

AI technologies are being developed and applied in various fields, from science and government to language acquisition and art (Hands-on AI Ethics Guide, p. 5). One of the most common uses of AI today is chatbots like ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a controversial tool due to the way it gathers information. As previously mentioned, AI collects data from the web, compiling information from countless articles and using it to generate responses—often without giving proper credit to the original sources.

Teachers, in particular, are trying to address this issue by restricting the use of AI tools in education. However, banning AI is not the ideal solution, as many students will find ways to use it regardless. A more effective approach is promoting responsible usage by requiring proper citation. If students use AI as a research tool rather than a copy-paste machine and acknowledge when and where AI was used, they can navigate this new technology ethically and responsibly.