This year, Cal High has decided to implement Gemini AI, allowing the generative AI tool to be used on school administered Chromebooks.

Gemini AI is a chatbot and virtual assistant developed by Google and is used in Google’s “AI overview” and “AI mode” functions.

During the San Ramon Valley Unified School District board of education meeting on Feb. 20, 2024, the topic of AI was addressed and the addition of Gemini AI was approved for use with high school students.

According to a slideshow presented during the 2024 meeting and is still available on the district website, the AI tool would be turned on for student use in the future.

The future came this year.

Cal High Principal Demetrius Ball announced the implementation of Gemini in a Grizzly Community Update before the beginning of the school year on Aug. 8.

Ball said during a recent press conference with The Californian that he thinks the implementation of Gemini can help students learn to live with AI.

“I think it’s important that we learn the capabilities, the limitations, and as much as possible, use our own brains,” Ball said. “Then how can this be a tool to help and assist us versus being solely dependent on it.”

Ball said the district chose Gemini over other AI programs because it was available as part of the Google Suite and it wouldn’t track students’ conversations.

Some students, such as freshman Jayesh Rungta, find Gemini very useful.

“I’ve used Gemini for brainstorming, for therapy, for study plans, for ideas for different events, for planning, for advice,” Rungta said. “I use it as a second Google. It’s often faster to just use AI and ask it for the sources than find those sources yourself.”

Senior Alyssa Reyrao isn’t so sure about Gemini’s capabilities after recently using Gemini to help plan a senior trip.

“It was kind of helpful, it showed me all the camps and their websites,” Reyrao said.“But I was asking it for specific things and it wouldn’t be able to give them to me.”

Some teachers have begun to implement Gemini AI in their teaching.

“I think everyone’s comfort level is different,” Ball said. “There are folks that are like, ‘Yeah, let me jump in and try this. How can I integrate it in the class?’ And others are like, ‘I’m not ready or I don’t want to jump in as much yet’.”

AP Government and Politics teacher Brandon Andrews recently experimented with AI in the classroom.

Andrews said he used Gemini AI in an assignment to simulate government functions.

Students were tasked with writing a speech as a congressional representative based on a bill generated by AI.

Andrews used AI as a teaching tool because as he pointed out, most bills are not written by members of Congress.

Andrews is a believer in ethical AI usage, using it as a tool to help find tone in writing, review for tests and make practice problems.

“I have mixed feelings,” Andrews said. “On one hand, it’s here. I think if we’re going to use it, we should teach students how to use it ethically.”

For many students and teachers, the misuse and dependence on AI is a primary concern, especially in the field of education.

Andrews is concerned about its use, especially in writing.

“You can in five minutes create an essay that would have taken hours,” Andrews said, “and it’s very difficult to check or fact check what you actually did.”

As a result, Andrews has resorted to old school methods by having his students use sketchnotes and write all assignments in class on Formative.

This helps remove the possibility of using AI to write for students.

Reyrao also worries about dependence on AI.

“I think it could be a good tool,” Reyrao said, “but I can’t stand it if I’m working on my thing genuinely and then the person next to me is using AI.”

Freshman Ara Ghosh fears that misuse of AI may have wider ranging effects for students down the road.

“If you misuse AI for cheating purposes or whatever, it can be very harmful,” Ghosh said.“That can lead to people blocking off the privilege of using AI because they’ll think you’ll misuse it, and

then that actually might cause harm for you, because it can give you less studying opportunities or ways to improve better.”

Ball doesn’t want to jump to conclusions when it comes to students using AI for cheating, but he also emphasizes that AI is a tool that students and educators are still learning to use.

Ball’s opinion seems to reflect the general consensus at Cal.

Teachers and students seek to find a balance between utility and dependence when it comes to using AI.