How effective AI is and can become, ultimately depends on how you use it.
On the one hand, the temptation to just use ChatGPT and other LLMs to replace thinking, writing and creating is strong (Brodsky, 2025). The short-term pay-off may seem attractive. There will be times that it goes unnoticed and tasks are completed faster or even complimented by others. Nevertheless, this convenience will eventually come at a cost. Your assignment might get flagged for AI and be determined as fraud or the report you had to hand in to your manager might contain non-existent links. All while your learning curve is stagnating, when relying on AI passively. Both for your independent thinking as well as your AI skills.
On the other hand, AI can be used proactively as a sparring partner, personal assistant or foundation for further work (Fitzpatrick, 2025). Personally, I like to use ChatGPT to provide feedback on drafts or to brainstorm next steps in a project. In addition, I think that the ‘’Deep Research’’ function is great to get an initial grasp of a topic that you are unfamiliar with. There are a lot of other situations where AI can be used, while your own mind is still triggered to learn.
Looking ahead, the real challenge is not just learning how to use AI, but how to collaborate with it purposefully. According to Accenture, only 11% of organizations are prepared to support effective co-learning between humans and AI, providing a great opportunity for both individuals and organizations to get ahead of the curve (Close et al., 2025).
Naturally, there is also a role for educational organizations here. Finding the balance between synergies and laziness is a difficult task. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has provided 7 principles for a responsible implementation of AI in education, including transparency, accountability and lifelong learning (Partovi & Yongpradit, 2024). Nothing is perfect, but I believe these principles form a solid foundation for educational organizations to bring the best of AI to students, while maintaining the original learning curve educational organizations have to offer.
Therefore, the goal should not be to discourage engagement with AI nor let it dominate the (learning) experience, but to foster an environment where synergies can arise. When this balance is achieved, AI will not diminish purpose but elevate it. Turning technology from a shortcut into a driver for deeper learning.
References
Brodsky, A. (2025, February 11). Why You Shouldn’t Let AI Write Your Emails. TIME. https://time.com/7216284/dont-let-ai-write-your-emails-essay
Close, K., Durg, K., Sakr, P. M., Wroblewski, S., & Yosef, L. (2025, October 6). Learning, Reinvented: Accelerating Human–AI Collaboration. Accenture. https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/consulting/learning-reinvented-accelerating-human-ai-collaboration
Fitzpatrick, J. (2025, August 18). 14 ways Googlers use AI to work smarter. Google. https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-ai-workplace-examples
Partovi, H. & Yongpradit, P. (2024, January 18). AI and education: Kids need AI guidance in school. But who guides the schools? WEF. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/ai-guidance-school-responsible-use-in-education/
