College students ‘cautiously curious’ about AI, despite mixed messages from schools, employers

Salt Lake City: So, there’s this student named Rebeca Damico at the University of Utah. When ChatGPT came out in 2022, her professors were super strict about it. They even added rules saying you couldn’t use it at all, calling it plagiarism. Rebeca, being a rule-follower, was really worried about getting caught if she even thought about using it.

She switched her major from journalism to public relations and saw AI as a big threat to writing jobs. It was tempting, though. I mean, who wouldn’t want to finish a paper in minutes instead of spending all night on it? Rebeca knew people who used it for their essays, and some got caught while others didn’t. As the semester wraps up, the pressure to use AI is real, but it feels like a slippery slope.

Students are getting mixed signals. Professors warn against using AI, but the job market is pushing them to learn it. AI has opened up a ton of job opportunities, and even California is getting in on the action by partnering with tech firms to bring AI education to public colleges.

Even if students aren’t heading into tech jobs, they’ll likely need to use AI in their fields. A recent report found that 75% of workers are using AI, and hiring managers are looking for those skills alongside real-world experience.

The University of Utah has had to figure out its stance on AI. They’ve added guidelines that are pretty strict, urging professors to use AI detection tools. Some professors are still against it, while others are starting to embrace it. It’s a mixed bag, really. Some schools have clear rules, while others let professors decide how to handle AI in their classrooms.

Virginia Byrne, a professor at Morgan State University, is all about figuring out what works best for her students. She often has them explore the pros and cons of AI tools. She’s part of a research group looking into how to create trustworthy AI solutions, which is pretty cool. She hopes her students see AI as a helpful tool, but she’s worried it might set unrealistic expectations for them.

Theresa Fesinstine, who teaches about AI in business, was surprised to find many of her students didn’t know much about it. She thinks the mixed messages come from a lack of understanding about how AI can actually help with tasks. It’s a bit scary, but she believes people just need to learn how to use it effectively.

Shriya Boppana, an MBA student at Duke, uses AI daily and is even looking to work in generative AI. She wasn’t initially interested, but after working on a project with Google, she saw how impactful AI could be. She uses AI for everything from scheduling to group projects, but she still prefers to write her papers herself.

Parris Haynes, a philosophy student at Morgan State, feels the pressure of coursework pushing students to use AI. He’s nervous about how AI is changing fields like law and academia, but he doesn’t want to rely on it for his philosophy work. He loves the joy of writing those papers himself.

Overall, students are feeling “cautiously curious” about AI. They know it’s important, but they’re also aware of the ethical concerns. Rebeca has started to see the benefits of AI in her new job at a PR firm, using it for brainstorming and learning new concepts. She’s still careful not to let it do her assignments, but she knows it gives her an edge.

Boppana is optimistic about her future in AI. She sees it as a chance to learn how machines can help in various fields, from healthcare to technology. There’s so much potential, and she’s excited to find her place in it.