AI on Campus; Answers We Can’t Generate

How Middlesex faculty navigates a new frontier in education 

When it comes to the role of Artificial Intelligence in education, there is no clarity. AI is succinct, well-organized, and conclusive; a classroom discussion is rarely any of those things. With the introduction of AI to modern education, students at Middlesex and around the globe have gained new access to immediate information. AI is like a modern jukebox, you feed it a coin, and out comes what you sought. The jukebox doesn’t really make what you requested, it simply stores and distributes someone else’s work. The difference between the jukebox and AI is that the consumer doesn’t know whose work they’re receiving nor do they often think to ask. For Middlesex students doing research, this lack of information sourcing can be an issue. “You can get to an answer; it might be the wrong answer, but you can get to information,” says Jeffrey Smith from the Warburg Library. The library has been heavily impacted by the introduction of AI, yet Mr. Smith notes the information sources are not always comparable. “When you use AI and internet resources in general, what you are getting is broad and superficial answers… books are much more in-depth than your average AI response,” adds Mr. Smith. The selection process of AI is what makes it both appealing and concerning. Artificial intelligence decides what information is of use to the reader before they even get exposed to the broader content. With a book, you are independently choosing what matters, but with AI, you are closed off from a lot of relevant information that you could find useful. Although Mr. Smith acknowledges these drawbacks of AI, he also believes that computer-generated content can be used for good. “AI could be helpful for students to get ideas or find a starting place,” he added. The Warburg Library has established an AI Introductions page on its website that helps teach students how to use AI platforms and educates them on the biases of the technology. Of course, there are pros and cons to all of this. “AI in relation to automation of everything means that fewer people can get the same job done,” added Mr. Smith. He then went on to explain that the library used to have four librarians but he is now the only one. “Artificial intelligence makes the day-to-day running of the library much easier,” he elaborates. 

Across Eliot Hall, in the English wing, teachers discuss the recent rise in AI on campus. “We’ve thought a lot about our core values as a department. What’s really important about the work that we ask you to do… what parts of that work are appropriate to outsource to AI, and which are inappropriate to outsource to AI,” says English teacher, Ceci Mancuso. Middlesex, after all, is a school that prides itself on writing. “It’s tricky, given the way we assess things currently, I don’t see AI having a huge role from idea generation to the composition of sentences and ideas because all of those tasks are really worthy and important tasks for people to do independently,” added Mancuso. “It’s something all departments are thinking about how they are going to incorporate in the coming year,” they elaborated. “You will see more engagement with AI on the level of thinking about what this can do as opposed to what it shouldn’t do,” Mancuso said. Certain departments are already implementing changes. “Visual arts and Computer Science are doing some really interesting things with AI,” says Mancuso. 

All indications show artificial intelligence is here to stay. Schools around the world are wrestling with policies to manage the technology.  How will Middlesex ultimately use AI going forward? Here’s a hint: your computer can’t answer that. 

Diana Davidson