AI in the Classroom: How Chatbots Are Undermining Critical Thinking and Creating a Generation of 'Eternal Novices'

As a senior at a New York public high school, I’ve witnessed AI transform education from a journey of intellectual growth into a race for shortcuts. Tools like ChatGPT are now ubiquitous in classrooms, but their misuse is fostering a culture where cheating is normalized, deadlines are meaningless, and students are losing the very skills needed to thrive in life. This isn’t just about academic dishonesty—it’s about how AI is reshaping student development, with alarming consequences for the next generation of innovators and leaders.

The Rise of AI-Assisted Cheating

In my own experience, AI has turned reflective learning into a copy-paste exercise. During a lesson on Frederick Douglass’s narrative, I watched a classmate highlight an entire chapter, feed it into ChatGPT, and receive instant annotations for a graded discussion. Similarly, in Algebra II, peers snap photos of homework worksheets, uploading them to AI for step-by-step solutions and graphs. These incidents aren’t isolated; they’re symptoms of a broader shift where students increasingly outsource thinking to machines. As I’ve observed, the once-shared urgency of scrambling to meet 11:59 p.m. deadlines on Google Classroom has vanished. Chatbots have softened the consequences of procrastination, sapping assignments of their purpose and disconnecting students from the collective struggle that once built camaraderie and resilience.

"What was meant to be a reflective, thought-provoking discussion on slavery and human resilience was flattened into copy-paste commentary," I noted. "The technology has destroyed much of what tied us together as students."

Why Detection Tools Are Failing

Schools are fighting back with AI detectors and screen-monitoring software, but these measures are easily circumvented. Students in my school use 'humanizer' tools to rephrase AI output, removing 'robotic undertones,' or manually edit responses to evade plagiarism checks. During exams, locked screens and recording tech are no match for smuggled phones. This cat-and-mouse game highlights a critical flaw: AI’s accessibility makes enforcement nearly impossible. As one peer admitted, preventative tools only scratch the surface of a deeper problem—when the focus shifts from learning to gaming the system, education becomes a hollow pursuit of grades over growth.

The Erosion of Core Skills

The real danger lies beyond cheating. AI encourages a worldview where external results trump internal development. Why wrestle with complex ideas when a chatbot can deliver an A? This mentality spilled into my debate team, where I once thrived on crafting original arguments. Now, competitors use AI to generate research and counterpoints between rounds, stripping debate of its essence: the adrenaline of outthinking opponents through creativity and rigor. As I’ve reflected, this dependency dulls instincts like grit and critical thinking—skills irreplaceable in real-world challenges, from journalism to surgery. Without them, we risk becoming 'eternal novices,' unequipped to handle pressure or innovate independently.

A Path Forward: Rethinking Education for the AI Era

Not all AI use is harmful; it can aid learning when applied ethically, like quizzing for language practice. But to curb abuse, schools must overhaul assessments. Oral exams that probe students’ reasoning, portfolio-based grading emphasizing process over product, and reflective journals documenting personal struggles could make cheating irrelevant. These approaches prioritize integrity and original thought, aligning with how professionals operate. If we don’t act, chatbots may make school 'easier to get through but equally as hard to grow out of,' leaving a generation ill-prepared for a world demanding human ingenuity. The solution starts with educators and tech leaders collaborating to design AI-resistant learning—because preserving our capacity to think isn’t just academic; it’s fundamental to progress.

Source: Adapted from an article by Ashanty Rosario, a senior at Newtown High School in Queens, New York, originally published in The Atlantic. Read the full piece here.