{"id":231803,"date":"2025-09-16T16:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T16:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/231803\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T16:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T16:40:11","slug":"how-ai-is-undermining-learning-and-teaching-in-universities-artificial-intelligence-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/231803\/","title":{"rendered":"How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Artificial intelligence (AI)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In discussing generative artificial intelligence (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/2025\/sep\/13\/its-going-to-be-a-life-skill-educators-discuss-the-impact-of-ai-on-university-education\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2018It\u2019s going to be a life skill\u2019: educators discuss the impact of AI on university education, 13 September<\/a>) you appear to underestimate the challenges that large language model (LLM) tools such as ChatGPT present to higher education. The argument that mastering AI is a life skill that students need in preparation for the labour market is unconvincing. Our experience is that generative AI undermines teaching and learning, bypasses reflection and criticality, and deflects students from reading\u00a0original material.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Student misuse of generative AI is widespread. Claims that AI helps preparation or research is simply cover for students taking shortcuts that do not develop their learning skills. Assessments are widely channelled through ChatGPT, disregarding universities\u2019 usually feeble guidance and rules. Generative AI results in generic, dull and often factually incorrect output.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For example, we asked students to interpret a short article by Henry Ford from 1922. Many answers suggested that the autocratic and racist Ford was developing a \u201csophisticated HR performance management function for his business\u201d and that he was a \u201ctransformational leader\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In many degree programmes, LLMs have little to no practical value. Their use sabotages and degrades students\u2019 learning and undermines critical analysis and creativity. If we are to make better\u00a0sense of the impact of AI on\u00a0work, education and everyday life, we need to be more sceptical\u00a0and less\u00a0celebratory.<br \/><strong>Prof Leo McCann<\/strong><br \/><strong>Prof Simon Sweeney<\/strong><br \/>University of York<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><strong> Have an opinion on anything you\u2019ve read in the Guardian today? Please <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/sep\/16\/mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city\/town\/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.\" data-link-name=\"in body link \" https:=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>email<\/strong><\/a><strong> us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tone\/letters\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>letters<\/strong><\/a><strong> section.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In discussing generative artificial intelligence (\u2018It\u2019s going to be a life skill\u2019: educators discuss the impact of AI&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":231804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[691,738,158,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-231803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-technology","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115214969933047680","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}