Expert System (AI) is transforming education while making finding out more accessible but likewise stimulating disputes on its impact.

While students hail AI tools like ChatGPT for improving their learning experience, lecturers are raising issues about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic integrity, particularly with numerous trainees unable to protect their projects or offered works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, expressed aggravation over the growing dependence on AI-generated responses amongst students stating a recent experience he had.

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"I gave an assignment to my MBA trainees, and out of over 100 students, about 40% sent the exact same answers. These trainees did not even understand each other, but they all utilized the very same AI tool to produce their reactions," he said.

He noted that this trend is common among both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is particularly concerning in part-time and distance knowing programs.

"AI is a severe difficulty when it pertains to assignments. Many students no longer think critically-they just go on the internet, create answers, and submit," he included.

Surprisingly, some lecturers are also accused of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both teachers and trainees turn to AI for convenience rather than intellectual rigor.

This argument raises critical concerns about the role of AI in academic stability and trainee advancement.

According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million month-to-month active users in January 2023, only one country had launched guidelines on generative AI as of July 2023.

Since December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million individuals using the AI chatbot every week and 1 billion messages sent out every day all over the world.

Decline of scholastic rigor

University speakers are progressively concerned about students submitting AI-generated assignments without really comprehending the material.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, expressed his concerns to Nairametrics about trainees progressively counting on ChatGPT, only to fight with addressing standard concerns when checked.

"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and submit polished projects, however when asked basic questions, they go blank. It's frustrating because education is about learning, not just passing courses," he stated.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu mentioned that the increasing number of superior graduates can not be completely credited to AI but confessed that even use these tools.
"A first-rate student is a superior student, AI or not, however that does not indicate they don't cheat. The advantages of AI might be peripheral, but it is making students dependent and less analytical," he stated.

- Another speaker, setiathome.berkeley.edu Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a various issue that some lecturers themselves are guilty of the same practice.
"It's not simply trainees utilizing AI slackly. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course details, marking plans, and even test concerns with AI without reviewing them. Students in turn utilize AI to create answers. It's a cycle of laziness and it is killing real learning," he lamented.

Students' perspectives on use

Students, on the other hand, say AI has actually enhanced their learning experience by making academic products more understandable and available.

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has substantially aided her knowing by breaking down complex terms and supplying summaries of lengthy texts.
"AI helped me understand things more quickly, particularly when dealing with complex topics," she described.

However, she recalled an instance when she used AI to send her task, just for her lecturer to right away recognize that it was generated by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad effect.

- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently graduated with a first-rate degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, securely thinks that his scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He associates his impressive grades to actively interesting by asking questions and concentrating on areas that lecturers highlight in class, as they are typically reflected in examination concerns.
"It's everything about being present, taking note, and tapping into the wealth of knowledge shared by my colleagues," he said,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, admits to occasionally copying directly from ChatGPT when facing multiple deadlines.
"To be sincere, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have numerous due dates, and I know I'm guilty of that, the majority of times the speakers do not get to go through them, but AI has actually also assisted me find out much faster."

Balancing AI's function in education

Experts think the service lies in AI literacy; teaching trainees and speakers how to utilize AI as a knowing help instead of a faster way.

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the combination of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the value of a well balanced technique that keeps human involvement while harnessing AI to enhance learning outcomes.
"As we navigate the rapidly progressing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is crucial that we prioritise human firm in education. We must make sure that AI enhances, instead of replaces, educators' important function in shaping young minds," he said

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity transformation specialist, attended to growing concerns regarding using synthetic intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their possible risks to the academic system.

- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, however, emphasized the need for caution in its use.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing hesitance amongst educators and schools toward including AI tools in finding out environments. She identified two primary reasons that AI tools are discouraged in academic settings: security threats and plagiarism. She discussed that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based on user interactions, which might not align with the expectations of educators.
"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade said, describing that AI does not accommodate particular mentor approaches.

Plagiarism is another issue, as AI pulls from existing information, often without appropriate attribution

"A great deal of people require to comprehend, like I stated, this is information that has been trained on. It is not just bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing details that some other people are fed into it, which in essence suggests that is another person's documentation," she cautioned.

- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early issue in AI development called "hallucination," where AI tools would generate information that was not factual.
"Hallucination indicated that it was highlighting details from the air. If ChatGPT might not get that details from you, it was going to make one up," she described.

She advised "grounding" AI by providing it with particular details to prevent such errors.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that banning AI tools outright is not the solution, particularly when AI presents an opportunity to leapfrog standard instructional approaches.

- She thinks that regularly strengthening essential information helps people keep in mind and avoid making errors when confronted with difficulties.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you tell individuals the same thing over and over again, when they are about to make the mistakes, then they'll keep in mind."

She likewise empasized the need for clear policies and procedures within schools, noting that many schools ought to deal with individuals and process aspects of this usage.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has turned to in-class tasks and tests to counter AI-driven scholastic dishonesty.
"Now, I mainly use tasks to guarantee students offer original work." However, he acknowledged that handling big classes makes this technique hard.

"If you set intricate questions, trainees won't be able to use AI to get direct answers," he described.

He highlighted the requirement for universities to train lecturers on crafting exam concerns that AI can not quickly solve while acknowledging that some lecturers struggle to counter AI abuse due to an absence of technological awareness. "Some speakers are analogue," he said.

- Nigeria released a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, focusing on ethical AI advancement with fairness, transparency, responsibility, and privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the regulation of AI in education, encouraging institutions to investigate algorithms, data, and outputs of generative AI tools to ensure they fulfill ethical requirements, protect user data, and filter inappropriate content.
- It stresses the need to evaluate the long-lasting effect of AI on crucial abilities like thinking and imagination while creating policies that line up with ethical frameworks. Additionally, UNESCO suggests carrying out age restrictions for GenAI usage to secure more youthful trainees and safeguard susceptible groups.
- For federal governments, it advised embracing a collaborated nationwide method to controling GenAI, consisting of establishing oversight bodies and aligning guidelines with existing data defense and personal privacy laws. It emphasizes examining AI threats, dokuwiki.stream enforcing more stringent rules for high-risk applications, and ensuring nationwide information ownership.