Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing education while making finding out more accessible but also triggering arguments on its impact.

While students hail AI tools like ChatGPT for tandme.co.uk improving their learning experience, speakers are raising concerns about the growing dependence on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines scholastic stability, particularly with numerous trainees unable to safeguard their tasks or offered works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a speaker at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, expressed aggravation over the growing reliance on AI-generated actions amongst students recounting a recent experience he had.

RelatedStories

Avoid sharing personal details that can recognize you with AI tools- Expert warns

Chinese AI app DeepSeek triggers global tech selloff, obstacles U.S. AI supremacy

"I offered a project to my MBA students, and out of over 100 trainees, about 40% sent the precise same responses. These trainees did not even understand each other, but they all used the exact same AI tool to create their actions," he stated.

He noted that this trend prevails among both undergraduate and postgraduate students however is particularly worrying in part-time and distance learning programs.

"AI is a major difficulty when it pertains to projects. Many students no longer believe critically-they just go online, generate responses, and submit," he included.

Surprisingly, some speakers are likewise accused of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both educators and students turn to AI for benefit instead of intellectual rigor.

This debate raises crucial questions about the function of AI in scholastic integrity and student development.

According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users in January 2023, just one nation had actually launched policies on generative AI since July 2023.

Since December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million individuals utilizing the AI chatbot every week and 1 billion messages sent every day worldwide.

Decline of scholastic rigor

University lecturers are increasingly concerned about students sending AI-generated assignments without truly comprehending the content.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a speaker at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his concerns to Nairametrics about students significantly relying on ChatGPT, only to struggle with answering standard concerns when checked.

"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and submit polished assignments, however when asked basic questions, they go blank. It's frustrating because education is about finding out, not simply passing courses," he stated.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu pointed out that the increasing number of first-class graduates can not be entirely attributed to AI however confessed that even high-performing students utilize these tools.


"A first-class student is a first-rate student, AI or not, but that doesn't indicate they don't cheat. The benefits of AI might be peripheral, however it is making students dependent and less analytical," he stated.

- Another lecturer, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a various concern that some speakers themselves are guilty of the exact same practice.


"It's not simply trainees utilizing AI lazily. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course details, marking plans, and even test concerns with AI without examining them. Students in turn utilize AI to produce responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is killing real knowing," he lamented.

Students' perspectives on usage

Students, on the other hand, state AI has improved their knowing experience by making academic materials more easy to understand and accessible.

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has considerably assisted her knowing by breaking down complex terms and offering summaries of lengthy texts.


"AI assisted me comprehend things more easily, specifically when dealing with complex subjects," she described.

However, she remembered a circumstances when she used AI to submit her job, just for her speaker to immediately acknowledge that it was created by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola kept in mind that it was a good-bad impact.

- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently finished with a first-rate degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, securely believes that his scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He associates his exceptional grades to actively engaging by asking questions and concentrating on areas that speakers emphasize in class, as they are frequently reflected in examination concerns.


"It's everything about existing, paying attention, and tapping into the wealth of knowledge shared by my associates," he stated,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, admits to sometimes copying directly from ChatGPT when facing multiple deadlines.


"To be honest, there are times I copy straight from ChatGPT when I have multiple deadlines, and I know I'm guilty of that, the majority of times the lecturers don't get to check out them, but AI has likewise assisted me find out quicker."

Balancing AI's role in education

Experts think the solution depends on AI literacy; mentor students and lecturers how to use AI as a knowing aid instead of a faster way.

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the combination of AI into Nigeria's education system, stressing the significance of a balanced method that keeps human involvement while harnessing AI to enhance learning outcomes.


"As we navigate the quickly progressing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is essential that we prioritise human firm in education. We should guarantee that AI enhances, instead of changes, teachers' important function in shaping young minds," he stated

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity change professional, addressed growing concerns concerning the use of expert system (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their potential dangers to the academic system.

- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, nevertheless, stressed the requirement for care in its usage.

- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance amongst teachers and schools toward integrating AI tools in learning environments. She determined 2 primary reasons that AI tools are dissuaded in academic settings: security threats and plagiarism. She discussed that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to react based upon user interactions, which may not align with the expectations of teachers.


"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade said, discussing that AI doesn't cater to particular mentor techniques.

Plagiarism is another problem, as AI pulls from existing data, frequently without proper attribution

"A great deal of individuals need to comprehend, like I stated, this is information that has actually been trained on. It is not just bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing details that some other individuals are fed into it, which in essence means that is another person's documentation," she cautioned.

- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early issue in AI advancement referred to as "hallucination," where AI tools would generate info that was not accurate.


"Hallucination implied that it was drawing out info from the air. If ChatGPT could not get that information from you, it was going to make one up," she described.

She suggested "grounding" AI by providing it with specific details to prevent such errors.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that prohibiting AI tools outright is not the option, particularly when AI provides a chance to leapfrog standard educational approaches.

- She believes that consistently enhancing crucial info helps people remember and prevent making errors when faced with challenges.


"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform individuals the exact same thing over and over once again, when they are about to make the errors, then they'll keep in mind."

She likewise empasized the requirement for clear policies and treatments within schools, keeping in mind that lots of schools must attend to the individuals and procedure elements of this use.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has actually turned to in-class projects and tests to counter AI-driven scholastic dishonesty.


"Now, I mainly utilize tasks to guarantee trainees offer original work." However, he acknowledged that managing large classes makes this technique difficult.

"If you set complicated questions, students will not have the ability to utilize AI to get direct responses," he explained.

He highlighted the requirement for universities to train speakers on crafting test concerns that AI can not quickly fix while acknowledging that some lecturers struggle to counter AI misuse due to a lack of technological awareness. "Some lecturers are analogue," he said.

- Nigeria launched a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, concentrating on ethical AI advancement with fairness, transparency, accountability, and personal privacy at its core.

- UNESCO in a report requires the regulation of AI in education, encouraging institutions to audit algorithms, information, photorum.eclat-mauve.fr and outputs of generative AI tools to guarantee they fulfill ethical requirements, secure user data, and forum.pinoo.com.tr filter unsuitable material.

- It stresses the need to evaluate the long-term impact of AI on important skills like believing and creativity while developing policies that align with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO suggests implementing age constraints for GenAI usage to protect more youthful students and secure vulnerable groups.
- For governments, it advised embracing a coordinated nationwide technique to controling GenAI, including developing oversight bodies and aligning policies with existing data security and privacy laws. It highlights evaluating AI dangers, implementing stricter guidelines for high-risk applications, and guaranteeing national data ownership.