We are living in a historical juncture where artificial intelligence is reshaping the world humans have known for years and years. It would not be an exaggeration to compare this AI revolution to those technological breakthroughs that have radically transformed human life including the invention of fire, the telegraph, the computer, the Internet, and so on.
Unlike previous inventions that took decades for their ramifications to be felt a,ong the populace, AI, within very few years, succeeded to infiltrate almost every aspect of society from business and health care to travel and education (Nwanji, 2024).
It is true that AI is nothing new. In fact, Alan Turing (e.g., 1937,1950 ) had laid its foundation in the 1950s and in 1956 John McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence (Cristiani, 2016). However, due to a lack of funding and computational power, its development was pushed to the back burner for decades before experiencing a resurgence in the 21st century.
The introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 marked a pivotal moment in AI’s mainstream adoption. Within just a two months after its launch, it is estimated to have reached “100 million monthly active users […] making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history” (Hu, 2023).
ChatGPT belongs to a type of AI known as generative artificial intelligence. This kind of AI technology represents a breakthrough in machine learning that enables systems to create, generate, and produce new content based on the vast amounts of data they have been trained on (Kharbach, 2024).
What’s unique about generative AI is its ability to produce human-like content including text, video, images, code, and music. Generative AI is especially exemplified in the work of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, to name a few.
Users can write a prompt and the chatbot provides instant answers. Initially, the knowledge of these chatbots was limited to whatever data used in their training, but with the rapid advancement in computing technology, most of these AI chatbots now have direct access to the web.
Just a few weeks ago OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, launched a powerful service it called ChatGPT Search, an AI-powered search engine that scrapes the web and provides instant and up-to-date answers. AI-powered browsing of the web will, I believe, make Google search, obsolete.
Fo us in the education, the ripples of this AI revolution have created a mixture of panic and optimism. Technology luddites within educational institutions have raised legitimate concerns over the potential of AI to catalyze academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and cheating.
They argue that tools like ChatGPT and other AI writing assistants make it too easy for students to generate essays and complete assignments without genuine learning or engagement with the material (Bogost, 2024). On the other hand, advocates of the embrace of AI in education laud the many benefits this technology brings to learning and teaching.
The purpose of this post is to explore these benefits specifically from a student’s perspective. In future posts, I’ll shift the focus to examining AI’s impact from a teacher’s perspective and delve into the limitations and challenges of integrating AI into education.
Benefits of AI in Education
Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits of AI for students:
1. AI Study Assistants
I think one of the best ways generative AI can benefit education is through its use as an AI study assistant available 24/7. AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Gemini, among others, are literally transforming how students learn and interact with educational content.
Imagine an all-knowing assistant by your side accessible anytime you want. A single prompt is all you need to get the help you want. This is indeed a game changer, well, when used responsibility and ethically. Students can get personalized help with practically anything from explaining complex concepts, solving math problems, to brainstorming ideas for a writing project.
2. Customized Feedback
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude do an amazing job providing custom feedback on any type of assignment. Students can do their homework by themselves then copy and paste or upload their answers to ChatGPT or Claude and ask the bot to provide feedback.
They can use the role assignment technique to get the bot to provide feedback from various perspectives. For instance, they can instruct the bot to act as a teacher and critique their assignment. They can also assign it the role of a classmate and get it to provide feedback that mimics peer review.
An example of a prompt can be :””Act as a high school English teacher and review my essay. Please provide feedback on the structure, clarity, and use of evidence, and suggest areas for improvement.”
3. Language Learning
Another key area where the use of AI can tremendously improve students learning is in language learning. It’s really astounding to reflect on the current possibilities available to students learning a second or third language compared to the ones we had in the late 80s and early 90s.
Back then, language learning relied heavily on static resources such as textbooks (and if you are lucky enough) audio cassettes and the occasional VHS language tutorial. I must say that these tools had their value but they lacked interactivity, personalization, and immediate feedback, elements that make learning a language fun and engaging.
Today, tools such as Grammarly help students refine their grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Likewise, tools like Quizlet use AI to create personalized vocabulary drills and flashcards that adapt perfectly to students learning competencies and help them improve their vocabulary grasp.
For conversational practice, students can use AI chatbots to engage in conversations that mimic real-life scenarios of language use. Such conversations help students learn language contextually and develop confidence in their speaking and listening skills. Needless to mention the possibilities of using AI-powered tools to help with translation, word definitions, and many more.
4. Writing Assignments
The first thing teachers wooried about when ChatGPT was first introduced was students using it to cheat in written assignments (Notopoulos, 2024). While I understand these concerns but these not a powerful enough reasons to shun away the tool or downright ban it from use in learning.
Let me tell you this, students who cheat will cheat no matter the medium, whether its ChatGPT or asking their elder sister to do the work for them. In fact, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude offer some amazing opportunities to enhance students’ writing skills rather than diminish them.
There are various ways students can use these AI tools to help improve their writing. For one, these AI tools can act as brainstorming partners to help students in the ideation process. They can use them to generate ideas and organize their thoughts more effectively. They can also use them as editors to provide feedback to improve their writing mechanics such as style, sentence structure, syntax, and grammar.
Students write an initial draft themselves using brainsotmed ideas they generated with the help of, let’s say, ChatGPT. Next, they copy and paste the draft into ChatGPT and ask it to review the draft for clarity, coherence, and tone, suggesting specific improvements or highlighting areas that need more detail.
And beyond writing mechanics, students can also leverage the power of these AI bots to get hep with argumentation and critical thinking. They can ask the AI to assess the strength of their arguments, identify potential counterarguments, and suggest ways to make their points more persuasive.
5. Research Projects
Students can use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot as research assistants to help during the whole research process from ideation to polishing the final draft. In addition to these general-purpose tools, there are also specialized AI tools designed to tackle specific research tasks.
For instance, literature review tools like Elicit and Scite streamline the process of finding, analyzing, and citing relevant studies. When it comes to reading and engaging with research literature, tools like ChatPDF and NotebookLM allow students to upload research papers and interact with them dynamically, asking questions, summarizing key points, and extracting critical insights.
There are also AI tools that are specifically ideal for dealing with multimedia content. For instance, Students can use tools like Eightify or Otter.ai to summarize video content, generate transcripts, and extract key insights to use in their research projects.
6. Help for Students with Special Needs
Another key area where AI is making huge inroads is special needs education. There is a wide range of AI tools that make it super easy to provide personalized support and accessibility to students with special needs and in ways that were previously unimaginable.
Let’s start with the AI text to speech tools. AI-powered apps such as Speechify and Elevenlabs help students with reading difficulties such as dyslexia by converting text into audio. Similarly, speech-to-text tools like Otter.ai enable students with physical or learning disabilities to dictate their thoughts, making writing and note-taking more accessible.
For students with visual impairments, AI tools like Be My Eyes or screen readers provide audio descriptions of on-screen content. For hearing-impaired students, tools like Rev offer real-time transcription of spoken words. Indeed, AI is not only revolutionizing accessibility but also fostering independence and confidence in students with special needs.
7. Content Creation
AI empowers students to unlock their creativity and showcase their learning in dynamic and engaging ways, removing technical barriers and simplifying complex processes. These tools enable students to focus on their ideas and expression rather than struggling with steep learning curves or technical constraints.
For instance, Canva AI allows students to create visually appealing presentations, posters, and infographics with ease. When it comes to creating videos, Capcut and Synthesia (and now OpenAI’s Sora) enable students to produce polished videos and animations.
Similarly, text to image tools like Midjourney, Leonardo, and Dall-E allow students to generate all kinds of images and illustrations. Undeniably, AI has greatly amplified students’ ability to express themselves creatively and present their ideas in compelling and innovative formats.
8. Problem Solving Skills
I close this list of the benfits of AI for students with what I think is one of the most transformative aspects which is enhancing problem-solving skills. Some teachers have concerns that AI tools might make students overly reliant on technology, but when used thoughtfully, these tools actually empower students to approach problems more critically and creatively.
For instance, tools such as Photomath do not just provide answers to math problems but also guide students through a step-by-step process on how the solutions are derived, helping them understand the logic and methodology behind the problem.
Similarly, tools like ChatGPT assist students in breaking down complex challenges into manageable parts, brainstorming alternative solutions, and exploring the reasoning behind various approaches. These tools, I believe, encourage students to think critically, analyze problems from different angles, and develop problem-solving skills that are transferable to real-world scenarios.
Final thoughts
AI is here to stay, and it’s crucial for us to learn how to leverage its educational potential to enhance our students’ learning. As I have explained in this post, AI offers a myriad of benefits, from personalized study assistance to fostering creativity, accessibility, and critical thinking. The key is to help students learn how to use this powerful technology in an ethical and responsible way, and let me add that this critical AI literacy is the only guarantee that they will not only adapt to but also thrive in a future increasingly shaped by AI.
References
- Bogost, I. (2024). AI Cheating is Getting Worse. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/08/another-year-ai-college-cheating/679502/
- Cristianini, N. (2016). Intelligence reinvented. New Scientist, 232(3097), 37–41. https:// doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(16)31992-3
- Hu, K. (2023). ChatGPT sets record for fastest-growing user base – analyst note. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-sets-record-fastest-growing-user-base-analyst-note-2023-02-01/
- Kharbach, M. (2024). ChatGPT for Teachers: Mastering the Skill of Crafting Effective. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9SWSQWM
- Notopoulos, K. (2024). Yup, AI is basically just a homework-cheating machine. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-chatgpt-homework-cheating-machine-sam-altman-openai-2024-8?
- Nwanji, N (2023). Using AI in classrooms could help or hurt students — that’s why educators should teach tech literacy, scholars say. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-literacy-ethics-teaching-students-educators-scholars-2024-2
- Turing, A. M. (1937). On computable numbers, with an application to the entscheidungsproblem. Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, s2–42(1), 230–265. https://doi.org/10.1112/plms/s2-42.1.230
- Turing, A. M. (1950). Computing machinery and intelligence. Mind, 59(236), 433–460. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2251299
