The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 had a significant impact on the world of education. I don’t know a single student who hasn’t experimented with ChatGPT, myself included. The technology offers many advantages, such as helping with brainstorming, summarising articles, debugging lines of code and filtering out language errors. I remember using it for the first time and being shocked by how convenient and accurate the technology was.
But, before you know it, you start to rely on it so heavily, that it becomes hard working without it. According to many studies this over-reliance of generative AI tools can have negative consequences for our development. For instance, a study from Chow (2025) shows that the excessive use of ChatGPT reduces people’s ability to think critically and solve problems. This is also verified by a study of Yilmaz and Yilmaz (2023), who found that students have lower levels of brain engagement when using AI, which can limit memory retention and cognitive functioning.
In addition to these neurological consequences, many universities are greatly concerned about academic integrity and AI-assisted cheating (Bin-Nashwan et al., 2023). It is now very easy to generate assignments or essays based on a few prompts and grading criteria. Students are therefore using AI to generate content and handing in work that is not their own (Dehouche, 2021). Such behaviour undermines the purpose of education, which is to educate and challenge students (Cotton et al., 2023).
This got me wondering: if we are outsourcing so many of our activities to AI, are we acquiring the right academic skills and knowledge, or is this devaluing our degrees?
On the one hand, I believe that it is becoming easier for students to obtain qualifications. They can spend less time studying as AI can quickly provide answers and explanations. Writing a thesis, for example, involves much less manual work than it used to. As AI is a very useful research tool, summarising articles quickly and providing immediate grammar checks to help improve language (Bin-Nashwan et al., 2023). Therefore, many students will choose this convenience over intellectual challenge. They can do so without consequences, as many universities are failing to properly manage the misuse of AI (Cotton et al., 2023).
However, this should not imply that the degree itself is no longer valuable. Instead, its meaning is changing; the ability to critically assess, modify and apply AI-generated outputs is now more important for success in higher education than memorisation and repetitive tasks. In this way, the degree continues to reflect the development of critical academic abilities, such as creativity, discernment, and the responsible application of AI to problem solving.
References
Bin-Nashwan, S. A., Sadallah, M., & Bouteraa, M. (2023). Use of ChatGPT in academia: Academic integrity hangs in the balance. Technology in Society, 75, 102370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102370
Cotton, D. R. E., Cotton, P. A., & Shipway, J. R. (2023). Chatting and cheating: Ensuring academic integrity in the era of ChatGPT. Innovations in Education And Teaching International, 61(2), 228–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2190148
Chow, A. R. (2025, 23 juni). ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study. TIME. https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/
Dehouche, N. (2021). Plagiarism in the age of massive generative pre-trained transformers (GPT- 3). Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, 2, 17–23. https://doi.org/10.3354/esep00195
Yilmaz, R., & Yilmaz, F. G. K. (2023). The effect of generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool use on students’ computational thinking skills, programming self-efficacy and motivation. Computers And Education Artificial Intelligence, 4, 100147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100147
