AI Is a Tool, and You Are the Master

Much like calculators were once shunned, artificial intelligence (or large language models depending on your fancy) now stands on the frontlines of academic discourse. Do you remember being told that you wouldn’t have a calculator everywhere you went, but smartphones turned the tide? Rather than fighting technology in a world growing ever reliable on circuit boards, perhaps it’s time to bring AI into the fold – responsibly.

AI is a tool. Like calculators, cars, and phones, technology always has a place in our lives with the world constantly growing around us. Your grandparents may have claimed to hike thirty miles in a snowstorm up a cliffside to get to school every day, but isn’t driving easier? The only issue that arises is when the driver drops the wheel and expects the car to take them where they’re needed. Like with AI, the algorithm only knows what to do and how to behave when the user grasps its reins.

AI isn’t meant to be a student’s stand-in. Real knowledge can only be obtained if it’s used as a tutor to answer the questions leaving them most confused. Personally, I call it my “autism translator” as ambiguity fails me and everyday conversation is built up on subtleties that slide past my Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). If a professor’s instructions are too vague, I plug them into the AI and tell it to explain undertones.

With the right utilization, it can walk students through a problem one step at a time and break down the process. AI can be a study buddy and a tutor, but certainly not a student. How can anyone expect to learn anything if a robot tosses in some em dashes and steals their voice away? Think of it like this: you wouldn’t hand your calculator your entire math exam and walk away. The same applies to AI. If a student uses it to complete the whole assignment for them, they're not outsmarting the system. They're denying themselves the chance to truly learn and thrive.

And it’s not just about any one person.

Remember: there are students who fought to be here. Some work two jobs. Some are parents struggling through deadlines and attendance. Others are breaking generational cycles just by stepping into the classroom. To use AI as a complete replacement for a student is to step on the people who are doing the hard work themselves.

But used the right way? Weaknesses are sharpened into strengths. Barriers are lower, support is stronger, and confusion isn’t left to burn unchecked.