Modern-day Artificial Intelligence is taking over the way students learn and think. It is beginning to reverse the changes made by Enlightenment thinkers over three centuries ago, taking away the idea that people should think for themselves. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement whose leaders promoted questioning authority, expanding education, and generating individual thought. As AI continues to advance, the world should stand up to it to preserve education for the future, much as Enlightenment thinkers challenged the control of monarchies and churches.
One of the biggest problems with AI is the fact that it takes away from independent reasoning. As I stated earlier, one of the main goals of the Enlightenment was to promote individual thinking, which students now let AI do for them. This tool weakens individual reasoning, a key skill the Enlightenment thinkers valued. Today, AI allows students to opt out of using their own understanding, ruining education. Immanuel Kant, one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers of the 18th century, encouraged people to “Have the courage to use your own understanding: this is the motto of the Enlightenment.” However, AI can be used for the good of education rather than as a substitute for thought; as a way to support studying while still encouraging independent thought. This way, AI can be a helpful tool in the path to enlightenment and in the classroom.
As well as individual thinking, AI in school threatens the core Enlightenment idea that knowledge should come from education and reasoning. AI draws on billions of data points and can easily present misinformation, oversimplify, or have bias, which students may accept without question or worry. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke believed that truth should be built from experience, not blind trust. When students copy AI information without any other verification, it can not only very easily lead to incorrect answers, but also give up all intellectual freedom that Enlightenment thinkers believed in.
Though AI is a great resource for information, when it comes to learning, it has become far too accessible to have AI do the work for students, taking away all learning benefits. AI may be used in a poor way sometimes, but it absolutely can be used in a positive way for education. Ai can be used productively to help with research, finding sources, and as a study guide, rather than as a shortcut for homework. As AI continues to improve, schools should begin to teach students how to use AI responsibly and set clear boundaries to prevent the misuse of AI and preserve their Enlightenment-inspired thinking.
The Enlightenment promoted solving real-world problems, individualism, and educating all. Multiple centuries later, we have come across a very similar challenge to the original Enlightenment thinkers. As they resisted the established powers of their time, monarchies and churches, we must resist the convenience and power of AI to preserve education. AI shouldn’t be banned from learning, but used for good.
