AI Integration or Generative Education?

One of my favorite things about teaching philosophy is showing students how frequently our debates about various topics are downstream of philosophical differences. Lately I can’t help but think that much of the disagreement about the use of artificial intelligence in college is a consequence of competing philosophies of higher education. While at this point, no one denies that students are in fact using AI for their assignments ( even trivial ones), there is sharp disagreement as to what should be done about it. Some, especially in the liberal arts, argue that the use of AI should be limited, but others insist that the way forward is to “ integrate AI” throughout the university curriculum.

Jay Caspian Kang of The New Yorker has recently suggested that the presence of AI should prompt us to reconsider fundamental questions of education. I think he’s right. What is the purpose of higher education? What are we trying to accomplish? Is higher education all about getting a good job, or does it have value apart from career preparation? Given increased skepticism about the value of higher education combined with the looming “ demographic cliff” that threatens future enrollment numbers, these are urgent questions for those of us in higher education. It’s high time we had this debate.

Many think the primary (or even sole) purpose of a college education is job training. In turn, this conviction shapes how they think and talk about everything that happens on college campuses, including AI. “Students will need to use AI in the working world, so we need to teach them how to use it” is a constant refrain.

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