Chegg is assisting students with its new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, CheggMate, which could circumvent school regulations regarding the use of ChatGPT. According to experts, this indicates that instructors are losing control over the amount of effort students put into their work.

"Overreliance on AI may prevent students from developing critical thinking and research skills, which are crucial for academic success," Schoolio founder Sathish Bala said in an email interview with Lifewire. "Therefore, it is crucial to assign students homework that both encourages them to continue honing these skills and teaches them how to effectively use AI tools."

How AI Can Benefit Scholars

CheggMate may shortly assist students with their assignments. The AI chatbot is constructed using the most sophisticated model from OpenAI, GPT-4.

"AI can help students learn and complete homework faster, so they can focus more on knowledge-building tasks, like studying, than on data search or organization."

"Students rely on Chegg's high-quality, precise learning platform to help them master their subjects and comprehend course material. Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig stated in the CheggMate press release, "We believe the combination of Chegg's proven ability to improve student outcomes with the breakthrough technology of OpenAI and Chat GPT will create the world's most powerful study companion for students."

Marnix Broer, the CEO of Studocu, an online student resource, stated in an email that AI is a clear gain for students. Instead of manually seeking for solutions, users can input a single command and have AI perform time-consuming tasks at near-instantaneous speeds.

"Artificial intelligence can help students learn and complete their homework more quickly, allowing them to focus more on knowledge-building tasks, such as studying, than on data search or organization," said Broer. "Artificial intelligence can also prevent students from becoming'stuck' when working through problems at home. In the absence of a nearby teacher, students can use AI to locate the answers they require. This additional assistance can also help level the playing field for pupils who may not have as much parental support."

Aletia Trakakis, co-founder of Swotknot, an educational software company, told Lifewire in an email that AI can provide students with personalized feedback and efficiently accomplish better academic outcomes. According to her, technology also affords new opportunities for homework assignments. For instance, personalized assignments could be generated by AI based on the strengths and weaknesses of each student.

Trakakis added, "These assignments could be automatically adapted to the student's learning styles and level of comprehension, providing a unique and challenging experience that keeps students engaged." "Artificial intelligence can generate dynamic and adaptive exams in which the questions change in real time based on the student's answers. This can then provide a more accurate assessment of the student's comprehension of the material and help identify areas where they may require additional assistance."

Is AI a Help or a Hindrance for Students?

Not everyone applauds the increasing availability of assignment chatbots. Ryan Lufkin, vice president of global strategy at the educational software company Instructure, stated in an email to Lifewire that the greatest concern among educators is that students will use generative AI to do their work for them, failing to comprehend the desired outcome and, consequently, failing to master the concept or skill being taught. Similar to how calculators sparked concerns that they would erode students' arithmetic skills, many are concerned that students will become dependent on AI technology for writing.

"However, if we view AI tools as a means of raising the bar on the quality of writing for students who are already fluent in technology, we can extract the benefits of AI," Lufkin continued. "These tools are here to stay, and individuals are already utilizing them in the workplace. Creating ethical usage guidelines, teaching the art of writing in response to prompts, and developing assessment methods that go beyond composing a lengthy paper will become the norm.

Schools are combating the use of generative AI with software tools that determine if assignments were created by computers. Bala noted that students can now circumvent AI analyzers by utilizing AI rephrasing tools.

"However, this presents an opportunity for educators to incorporate AI and create personalized assignments that cater to each student's unique learning style and skill level," explained Bala. This could make assignments more difficult and relevant, ultimately resulting in smarter students.