When I first got into Generative AI and discovered ChatGPT back in 2022, I used it for everything. Writing my homework assignments, brainstorming and even study notes. It felt amazing at the start. Type a few words, get a full text back. Fast, easy, ans the task is done. Not a lot of thinking required.
But then I realized, the more I let AI write for me, the less thought I put in myself and the actual purpose of my task. The more AI usage was involved, the less I have dealt with the task myself. A year ago, I completed an assignment entirely with ChatGPT. When a classmate asked me for help with that assignment, I didn’t know what the assignment was about or what I had actually written. That was the turning point.
Now I use AI in a different way. I start with my own ideas, even if they are messy. I write my own draft first. Only later do I ask AI to clean it up or challenge my blind spots. This way my brain stays active, and the work feels honest.
Where I still lean on AI is research. Gemini Deep Research helps me go through tons of information and gets me the sources and facts I am looking for. NotebookLM is my second brain for study projects. I can throw in sources and get quick, clear summaries. That saves me hours and lets me focus on thinking, not just searching.
So today, AI is not my writer anymore. It’s my research partner. It takes care of the heavy lifting, while I keep the real thinking in my own hands. Like Immanuel Kant said, with “Sapere aude” – Have the courage to use your own understanding.
I can totally relate to your “turning point.” At first I also let AI do too much, and later realized I wasn’t really learning. Your idea of writing a draft yourself first and then letting AI clean it up is smart, it keeps you in control. I also use it a lot for research, but the thinking part has to stay with us. Do you think unis should teach us how to use AI in this balanced way?
Thanks for your interesting contribution! Using AI for study related tasks you indeed have to navigate a really fine line between, it being useful for your learning process and it doing too much work leading to worse results. We as students, have a responsibility in using AI for own advantage and not ruining our learning process with it.
I do think the professors could also provide a helping hand, changing grading by taking more vocal exams like is being done in the research methods course.
I thought the ideas discussed here were really interesting, it is a good way to ensure you are in control, by not letting AI interfere in the all-important learning process, while also making sure you are getting optimal results by using AI to make sure all blind spots are covered. Perhaps this is the healthiest way to approach AI in education going forward, by delegating it as a research partner.