# I’m a High Schooler. AI Is Demolishing My Education. by [[Ashanty Rosario]] > [!summary] > High school senior [[Ashanty Rosario]] argues that [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] tools like [[ChatGPT]] are undermining education by enabling widespread cheating and destroying the shared academic experiences that once connected students. [[Articles Collection|↖ Articles]] • **[Read this on The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/09/high-school-student-ai-education/684088/?gift=iWa_iB9lkw4UuiWbIbrWGb6QQ8NShiHn8eS_btiX-ms&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share)** ## Topics #education, #technology, #ai, #chatgpt, #academic-integrity, #student-experience, #critical-thinking, #cheating ## TLDR; - How [[ChatGPT]] is being used by students to complete homework assignments and generate annotations for class discussions - The breakdown of shared academic experiences and deadline urgency that once connected students - The limitations of [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] detection tools and monitoring software in preventing academic dishonesty - The shift from internal learning growth to external results-focused education - Proposed solutions including oral exams, personalized assignments, and portfolio-based grading ### Recap > [!tip]- What resonates > Rosario observes that "These programs have destroyed much of what tied us together as students" - noting how AI has eliminated the shared experience of frantically working to meet midnight deadlines. This insight captures something deeper than just cheating: how technology can fragment the communal aspects of learning that create bonds between students. > [!question]- following up > If AI tools are producing "a generation of eternal novices," as Rosario suggests, what specific skills and capacities might be permanently underdeveloped, and how might this affect these students' ability to handle complex real-world challenges that require sustained critical thinking? #### The Student Perspective on AI in Education [[Ashanty Rosario]], a high school senior in [[New York]], provides a firsthand account of how [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] tools are transforming the educational experience. She describes witnessing classmates use [[ChatGPT]] to generate annotations for discussions of *[[Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass]]* and to solve [[Algebra]] homework problems. #### The Erosion of Shared Academic Experience Rosario argues that [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] has fundamentally changed the nature of student life. The traditional experience of rushing to complete assignments before 11:59 p.m. deadlines - moments that created shared bonds among students - has been replaced by effortless AI-generated work. This has eliminated much of the "frantic productivity" and sense of urgency that once characterized academic life. #### Limitations of Detection and Prevention Schools are investing in detection tools and screen-monitoring software, but students have found ways around these measures. They use "AI humanizer" tools to rephrase text and remove robotic language, manually edit AI output, or find workarounds during monitored exams. Rosario suggests that preventative measures can only go so far. #### From Internal Growth to External Results The technology has shifted student focus from learning and personal development to simply achieving good grades. The dominant mindset has become: why learn when you can get an A by outsourcing thinking to a machine? This represents a fundamental change in educational values. #### Impact on Extracurricular Activities Even debate team competitions, which Rosario initially saw as a refuge for critical thinking, have been affected. Students now use [[ChatGPT]] for research and argument construction, undermining the core purpose of developing independent reasoning and argumentation skills. #### Proposed Solutions Rosario suggests several alternatives to traditional assessment methods: - Oral exams where students explain their thinking process - Personalized writing assignments unique to current events - Portfolio-based or presentational grading - Learning journals for student reflection - Discussion-based evaluation of struggles and approaches #### Long-term Consequences The author warns that continued reliance on [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] is creating "a generation of eternal novices" who lack essential skills like grit, critical thinking, and the ability to function under stress - capabilities that cannot be replaced by chatbots in real-world situations. #### Quotes ##### The Destruction of Student Community > These programs have destroyed much of what tied us together as students. There is little intensity anymore. Relatively few students seem to feel that the work is urgent or that they need to sharpen their own mind. ##### The Dominant Worldview > Why worry about actually learning anything when you can get an A for outsourcing your thinking to a machine? ##### Long-term Impact > The technology is producing a generation of eternal novices, unable to think or perform for themselves. --- ***originally published by [[The Atlantic]] on [[2025-09-03|September 3, 2025]]*** --- ## My notes: %% Enter notes below this line %%