AI’m learning faster than ever

Written by: Athens (25-I1), Jakin (25-I5), Urvii (25-O6), Amelia (25-E3), Kaitlyn (25-U1) , Zac (25-I5), Isaiah (25-I4)

Designed by: Kaitlyn (25-U1) and Avelyn (25-A2)

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), conversations like the one above have become increasingly common in schools across the globe. The modern student is equipped with a study tool that previous generations of students could only dream of – a tool that can conjure a persuasive essay with a single prompt, condense study notes into digestible summaries, or scour the internet for specific information in seconds, (P.S. - It’s probably in whatever application you rely on to write out GP essays or answer Math questions.) What began as the half-baked brainchild of OpenAI’s founder, Sam Altman, has evolved into the defining idea of the 21st century – AI; that is now commercialised, specialised and seamlessly woven into daily life.

In response to the growing demands of modern education, tech companies have launched an array of algorithmic tools, all loosely grouped under the catch-all term ‘AI’. These include AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Deepseek, memory retention aids like Revisely, and more–all supercharged to help us learn as efficiently as possible. Their goals? Improve information retention, deepen understanding and help phase out outdated, time-consuming study methods. (real talk: students used to go to actual libraries to do research…). 

Of course, the complex nature of AI often gives it a “black box” notoriety – its inner workings seem far too complicated for most students to grasp.

But let me try to explain it as simply as possible. AI “thinks” in a way that mirrors how we learn. Much like a newborn’s brain, it starts with an algorithm trained to detect patterns and relationships in data. As it is fed more information, it hones its abilities by learning from patterns and forming rules to generate more accurate, relevant answers. This mirrors human learning – our brains are very receptive to sensory information in our developmental years, allowing the organ to grow and be finetuned through sensory input, gradually building our own framework to understand the world from. The same goes for AI: with more data and training, it can become increasingly capable and adaptive.         

AI has undeniably changed the way we live, learn, and make decisions. In the past, people relied on lengthy trial-and-error processes to solve problems. Now, a single AI prompt can deliver detailed, mostly accurate answers in seconds. With all the activities that students have to juggle – academics, extracurricular activities, leadership roles – navigating the JC landscape has always been a tall order. While consults and peer study sessions are still useful, AI serves as a 24/7 personal tutor (think Photomath, ClaudeAI, …), offering instant support anytime, anywhere. This not only alleviates mental stress but also helps students improve learning and reinforce syllabus content more efficiently. Sceptics of the net benefits of AI in formal education, who might presume that the means by which AI boosts student productivity is just spoon-feeding but repackaged, ought to move past outdated views of learning – at present, it’s a whole other ball game in the educational landscape, and AI is redefining the game. Modern problems require modern solutions!

AI goes beyond simply assisting with language, science, maths, organisation, and memory – it offers a tailored, customised educational experience. For students, it allows for greater autonomy over their learning; for teachers, it reduces their workload and helps uphold academic integrity.

However, with the prevalence of such user-friendly AI chatbots, the problem of over-dependence becomes inevitable for some. While it can be an effective tool for learning, excessive reliance on AI may result in a potential decline of critical thinking as some students may become accustomed to and hence resort to AI-generated solutions. As such solutions do not accurately reflect their abilities, students who become mired in such cycles of overreliance would have a harder time grasping complex or even foundational concepts on their own in an exam setting, causing their academic performance to steadily deteriorate. 

Ultimately, AI’s efficiency means nothing if one wields it irresponsibly. While it is unrealistic to completely avoid the use of AI for day-to-day assignments or even revision for exams, students must be made aware of how best to optimise their learning. The role of AI in education should be viewed as more supportive, rather than as a replacement for conventional teaching and learning methods. Content produced by AI should not be accepted wholly, instead, it should be analysed, evaluated and built upon by students in order to have a fruitful learning experience. This approach ensures that AI does not diminish creativity and problem-solving skills, which are the fundamental skills that education seeks to develop in students.

While we do acknowledge the deleterious effects of excessive AI usage, wielding AI effectively has immense potential to transform the way we learn and study for the better. To accomplish this, we must first learn to toe the fine line between overreliance and a maximisation of the resources at our disposal. Yet how do we demarcate this invisible string, let alone manage it? 

Below, we’ve compiled a list of useful suggestions to help you find out exactly how. Directly using AI as a study tool (in moderation, of course) is perfectly viable. AI-powered study sites Brainly and Revisely are prime examples of healthy AI usage, whereby students can provide PDFs of their revision notes to be compiled and tested in a comprehensible, effective manner. Furthermore, when faced with a difficult GP essay question, AI can help compile evidence to back one’s essay points in seconds, instead of forcing one to endlessly scour the internet without the promise of a useful example. AI maximises our productivity when studying with its unbeatable efficiency, enabling us to do well without burning out in the middle of exam season. However, one must continue to look over AI-generated content with a critical eye. Just like the human species, AI is far from perfection – its content is largely sourced from existing information and work produced by humans, making even the smallest of imperfections inevitable. In combining the best traits of AI and humanity – efficiency and critical reflection respectively – we can truly optimise AI for studying, making learning both enjoyable and productive. 

Striking a balance hence is of paramount importance to our usage of AI: knowing when to rein it in, and when to freely employ it. While using AI as a crutch only ever leads to a dead end, using it supplementary aid augments our capabilities rather than replacing them, enabling us to reach new potentials. Ultimately, the key to using AI effectively lies in maintaining our critical thinking, creativity, and commitment to personal growth – qualities that technology, no matter how advanced, cannot replace, and especially not in the exam hall. For us students, the message is clear: don’t let AI do the thinking for you. Let’s embrace AI, but not at the expense of our own intellectual development.