An interview with J. Craig Wheeler, Professor of astronomy of the University of Texas at Austin about his book, The Path to Singularity.
Explore how synthetic systems merge with organic experience in The Artificiality. Follow the journey from information to consciousness, where AI evolves from passive tools to active participants, reshaping reality, redefining intelligence, and challenging the boundaries of human experience.
Congratulations to the authors of of the Artificiality Book Awards 2024!
Rather than reactively banning technology or doubling down on ineffective surveillance, we must proactively develop new pedagogical muscles for this algorithmic age—scaffolding metacognitive discernment and critical thinking while leveraging AI as a valuable asset.
Educators today face an unprecedented revolution as artificial technologies like ChatGPT position themselves to transform classroom landscapes. Fears abound that these tools will undermine academic integrity on an immense scale. Yet recent research indicates cheating rates have remained stable even after ChatGPT’s advent. In anonymous surveys across 2022 and 2023, 60-70% of high school students admitted to some form of cheating on assignments in the past month—a figure unchanged since before generative AI existed in its current form.
Rather than an epidemic of cheating, these statistics reveal systemic engagement issues in learning environments. When students feel overwhelmed by expectations, disconnected from teachers, or that assessments emphasize rote busywork over meaning-making, some resort to cutting corners out of stress and desperation.
Simultaneously, attempts to detect AI cheating have proven largely ineffective. Studies reveal human grading accurately identifies cheating around 96% of the time, but that number drops to just 42% accuracy detecting AI texts subsequently edited by humans. With machine paraphrasing, accuracy plummets to 26%. The conclusion is clear: educators will do more harm than good by using plagiarism detection tools to detect AI cheating.
This data exposes a pivotal juncture for education. Do we continue down reactive paths—villainizing students, banning technology, doubling down on surveillance? Or do we embrace AI’s arrival as a catalyst to strengthen learning ecosystems and cultivate agency?
We propose the latter. By reframing integrity concerns as engagement challenges, instructors create opportunities to scaffold critical thinking and metacognitive skills essential for self-directed, lifelong learning.
If routine tests invite shortcut solutions from AI, assignments must require deeper demonstration of understanding. Develop project-based activities demanding sustained inquiry, like:
Require students to document how and when they leverage AI tools, making transparent the distribution of cognitive work between machine capacity and their own reasoning. This practice externalizes metacognitive monitoring processes essential for self-regulation.
Students must learn to determine when and how much to properly utilize algorithmic tools. Nurture this discernment through scaffolded practice. Early exercises may provide parameters around AI usage (e.g. use ChatGPT for brainstorming only) then gradually remove those training wheels.
When guiding appropriate reliance, AI can best be used as a "good start". Invite students to consider a “80/20 rule” use of AI—generate 20% of a draft using AI to stimulate ideas, then devote 80% human effort crafting analysis and details. Calibrating integration prevents overdependence.
Go beyond surface-level fact checks—train students to consider the contextual biases embedded within algorithmic systems. Have them interrogate ChatGPT responses through lenses like:
Parsing machine blindspots builds human critical faculties.
Structure regular pauses for students to contemplate when and how AI did or didn’t enhance their learning process. Considering questions like:
By eliciting these reflections, instructors empower more conscious, masterful learning partnerships with AI.
Just as we wish for students to appropriately harness the potential of artificial intelligence, so too must instructors seek ethically conscious applications that augment professional practices. Educators stand to benefit from AI in crafting more meaningful learning experiences. For instance:
As with learner usage, temper all automation with human wisdom. Prioritize innovations that elevate human creativity and judgment over pure replication. The potentials are boundless for AI to enhance, not replace, the invaluable heart of teaching. Walk the talk with students by demonstrating how to judiciously harness these modern tools for good.
Rather than reactively banning technology or doubling down on ineffective surveillance, we must proactively develop new pedagogical muscles for this algorithmic age—scaffolding metacognitive discernment and critical thinking while leveraging AI as a valuable asset. The ultimate solution lies not in hall monitors or honor codes, but in fundamentally evolving educational ecosystems such that cheating becomes irrelevant. This begins with embracing integrity challenges as opportunities to strengthen engagement, agency and cognitive self-awareness in every learner.
Writing and Conversations About AI (Not Written by AI)
