Ricardo Martinez Flores, an 11th-grade student at Frontier STEM High School, was a panelist at the opening session of Elevating Innovation: Thinking in an AI World. The panel explored AI’s impact on leading and learning, and Ricardo was invited to share a student’s perspective. However, he surprised the audience with his dislike for artificial intelligence. Here he shares his point of view, along with some suggestions for using AI in the classroom, including:
When it comes to school, my thoughts are much the same: I do not like AI, and how many students use it to, simply put, cheat by asking AIs like ChatGPT the same questions that were asked to them. Obviously, that is not OK; it is not their work or words but the ideas of an AI, which is itself the ideas of a large group of people on whom the AI has been trained.
Despite this, I have learned of ways that students can use AI for good, like using it to create flash cards or compile their notes in a neat, organized way. However, I still believe that AI in schools is generally causing more harm than good, and it is concerning.
I have had these thoughts for a while, but I never had an opportunity to talk about it with anyone except for some friends until I was asked to speak on a panel about AI at the Elevating Innovation Virtual Conference. In preparation for the panel, my English teacher, Mrs. Jones, and our Verizon Innovative Learning Schools coach, Mrs. Mays, led a class discussion about AI.
The class was asked the same questions that I was going to be asked about on the panel, like how is AI being used positively to support learning, and how has AI raised concerns about academic integrity, giving me an opportunity to hear my classmates’ insights and opinions on the topic. I was surprised to learn that some of my classmates shared my concerns about cheating and overreliance, and some also had their own proposed solutions and ways to use AI responsibly, like using it to create study materials and research keywords that are important for a test. This exercise not only gave me ideas for what to say on the panel, but it also validated my feelings while also opening my mind to new perspectives.
All in all, I still think AI is a problem, and it is currently causing more harm than good, but maybe, if people are careful and learn how to use it correctly, AI can be a good tool that can help everyone. As I shared on the panel, “AI should protect the minds of young people. Schools should use tools that promote safety, honesty, and real learning—AI that knows when a student needs help versus when they just want it to think for them.”
Watch the recording of the opening panel at Elevating Innovation, Through Every Lens: AI’s Impact on Learning and Leading, along with all Elevating Innovation sessions on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ.
