Last year’s State of the Academy (SOTA) shows that 70 percent of Andover students use AI, with 44 percent of students using it multiple times a week. However, Andover remains rather apprehensive of AI use in classrooms, with many teachers advising students to resort to avoidance of AI unless specifically instructed. Andover’s fear of actively incorporating AI use into school curriculum barricades the school from equipping the students with ethical, productive usages of AI.
Andover serves to equip its students with creative and critical knowledge that they can refer to later in their careers. In order to best equip students, Andover must embrace AI for students to flourish once they’re out in the “real world.” AI is increasingly becoming a critical tool in increasing productivity, with 66 percent of executives requiring AI skills for new hires in 2024. Moreover, according to the World Economic Forum, AI usage for American workers has doubled in the past two years. Instead of fearing the potential consequences of new technology, we should actively experiment with a pro-AI educational approach among students and teachers, which would uphold our school values of creativity, trust, and integrity when done the right way.
Looking at similar educational institutions to Andover, we see that Choate incorporates AI into its curriculum that benefits both students and teachers by creating two groups: The Generative AI Steering Committee (which manages AI strategies in the resources, policies, and vision within their academic curriculum) and The Generative AI Collaborative Group (which focuses on AI in Choate’s business and administrative areas). Meanwhile, we’re not offering machine learning Computer Science courses, stomping AI out like a spider. But what if instead of a spider, we’re destroying Spider-Man? After attending various meetings with CEO’s, associate professors, and post-grads, I’ve received a consensus that AI is an amazing expedient in completing various tasks, such as managing tedious datasets, generating kick-off points for projects, detecting fraud, or optimizing crop yields. Other high schools, both public and private, teach AI literacy courses and show upfront transparency about how AI is changing the world.
Not only are high schools around the globe utilizing and progressing with their newfound tools, but various colleges are also leading the way with the new learning mechanism. To name a few, Harvard developed an AI Pedagogy Project to help students and faculty use, analyze, and control AI. They have created assignments and courses that incorporate AI into both college majors and everyday life, covering: distinguishing AI vs. human writing or using AI to expedite mundane tasks. Stanford maintains an AI playground to explore and pound on the outer limits of machine learning. Andover has the necessary resources to build a solid foundation that can eventually turn the AI stigma around so that students are propelled in the right direction.
But why are so many schools incorporating artificial intelligence? Students sometimes run into a rare phenomenon that schools might not always address. It’s called, “Not understanding everything.” Students might not be able to articulate what they need help with (they don’t know exactly where or what they’re struggling with), they could feel that they need an answer now, or they think that their resources aren’t adequate. Narrowing down to Andover, specifically, tutoring sessions aren’t frequent enough to always be there for the student or might conflict with extracurriculars. Even when the students seek help from their teachers, they often find themselves fighting to ask questions due to the limited availability of the teacher and time of conference periods. Chatbots, such as Chat-GPT or Gemini, can instantly simplify confusing concepts and correct wrong trails of thinking before they become heavy, ingrained deadweights. They can also adapt to various languages, contexts, and practice questions for tests. When low on practice questions or trying to focus on a specific concept, AI gives you individualized practice towards your language, skill level, and depth of explanation. AI has so many possibilities to streamline efficiency with grading, class scheduling, and managing student records, and other tedious tasks, so it’s a win-win for everybody.
AI literacy should be acknowledged and taught, but even though a few of our courses have started to put that in their descriptions, rarely is the “correct” or “productive” usage of AI ever mentioned in these courses. Trying to stifle AI stigmatizes the internet, spellcheck, and other devices that ultimately speed up tedious tasks. Open-minded students who come to Andover to spearhead a future of unforeseen technology and advancement see AI as a tool to carve their key to success.
