Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how students study.
With tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grammarly replacing traditional study methods, students are taking notes, learning active recall, and improving memory retention in far different ways than they have in the past.
As classrooms are adapting to the new technologies, students have already learned how to use AI to speed up their studying sessions.
Cal High freshman Briolette Urso views AI as a helpful tool for creating study material.
“I use ChatGPT to help me make questions, and try to answer them myself,” Urso said. “Like flashcards.”
But not all students share Urso’s positive view. Senior Eliza Warren believes AI does more harm than good.
“How do I know that the AI is telling me the truth, and not some fanfic about the founding father?” Warren said.
Senior Sushrut Pola likes to mix both AI with and his learning techniques when he studies.
“I personally find traditional active recall easier by talking myself through the subject,” Pola said. “But I used Gemini AI before to generate practice test and quiz questions.”
Students aren’t the only ones who are figuring out AI’s role in learning.
Teachers are also trying to manage how to include these tools efficiently.
As someone who consistently stays up to date on history, AP social studies teacher Chris Doherty said he knows that AI can provide false information about historical concepts. This makes it
harmful for students to use, since they’re learning inaccurate information and registering that.
“I make my students do their assignments physically instead of online to oppose the use of AI,” Doherty said.
Teachers set these guidelines, but some students feel that AI can still be helpful when used responsibly.
“AI is a useful tool,” sophomore Jeremiah Long said.“I think instead of banning it, we should educate people on how to use it properly.”
Long explained that he has used both Gemini AI and ChatGPT to study and learn material.
“If I don’t understand the way the teacher is explaining it [the material], AI can explain it in a way that I can understand based on saved memories,” Long said.
Long feels like Cal and the district should not restrict the usage of AI for students who are using it properly.
Students and teachers are still figuring out how to balance the positives and negatives of AI in education.
In response to the growing presence of AI on campus, Principal Demetrius Ball said staff members are working to ensure students and teachers know how to use it an appropriate way.
Librarians Nikki Ogden and Jessie Bailey have hosted sessions where they taught both students and staff about the effective usage of AI in an educational setting.
“Our big skills that we are trying to focus on are recognizing AI hallucinations, recognizing AI bias, and how to cite AI usage properly,” Ogden said.
Odgen is also planning to host a student support session before finals to teach students how to use AI effectively. This session will be to help students with creating study schedules and learning productively.
As Cal continues to explore the use of AI in student learning, both staff and students are finding ways to adapt to the new technology.
While some students and educators see it as a cheap shortcut that has false information, others view it as a valuable resource to learn and study.
