As per usual, if you want a TL;DR: here it is!
I opted to not use ANY artificial intelligence assistance for this course, even the suggested Co-Pilot plug-in for IntelliJ. This is because I believe that actually being able to do things yourself before having something do it for you is better in the long-run/situations you don’t have it (for example, calculators for basic math).
Artificial intelligence, as of recent, has been blowing up as both a means and a problem in relation to its ability to do work (essays, coding), answer questions, and create creative content. Due to the nature of artificial intelligence’s requirement to be trained (i.e. taking samples from the internet/provided pool of data) has brought up many ethical issues in regard to copyright and ease of production. It also brings up problems in regard to education and work by individuals’ reliance on artificial intelligence to do their work instead of the person doing it. In education, artificial intelligence circumvents the requirement for students to learn and apply content, and, in work, the requirement to do what they’re being paid to do.
However, in an environment like software engineering, development, and programming, where there is a reliance on external references to “borrow” (for a NICE way to describe our very shady dealings), namely Discord, Reddit, Q&A sites, and especially StackOverflow, a piece of code can just as easily be created independently as one can find it online. Because of this most, except the most “upright” and anal of us, don’t shy away from borrowing. Thus, by extension, many utilize, use, or even rely on artificial intelligence to check our syntax, create blocks of code, or explain simple questions relating to errors or problems we come across.
Despite the relaxed culture to copying code and using artificial intelligence, you can call me anal and upright as much as you want: I’ve opted to not use artificial intelligence while in my software engineering class.
EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I HAVE OPTED TO NOT USE AI.
“Why? It’s so easy, nobody cares, and even the PROFESSOR himself has stated that is not only allowed, but ENCOURAGED.”
Well, I believe in the standard educational purview: to be able to understand why something happens, how it occurs, its applications, and how to do it. In this class, we’re being taught to learn how to properly code in Javascript and HTML+CSS, and deal with Meteor, React, and MongoDB. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to actively learn how to do these things by hand, so in the case the AI does not properly answer to a problem or create a code block, I can fix its errors, or in the worst-case scenario, do it from scratch.
So all the errors, all the syntax errors, all failed test cases, all are for my benefit to fix and learn about. This is all for the sake of learning to properly do things. But to be honest? I’ll probably use artificial intelligence in the future because GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY: it is an absolute SLOG to do things manually over and over and over again. And in the special cases that the artificial intelligence fails me, I can do it if need be because I haven’t relied on artificial intelligence.
However, I have learned to deal with artificial intelligence responses, because although they have a high accuracy, they begin to fall apart on specific and complex problems, and requires the user to either break it apart for it or do it themselves. To properly implement/use artificial intelligence, one would have to learn how comprehension and problem-solving skills in order to properly manipulate the artificial intelligence to generate a desired response after some guidance through multiple prompts. For example, I am currently working on a VR project which I do not know much about the Unity project, so I ask questions about conversions between Enums and DataTypes because I am not explicitly being taught Unity. In that case, I am fine with using artificial intelligence because I don’t intend to actively use Unity in a significant amount anytime soon, compared to the stuff I need to learn for class.
With the problems with artificial intelligence reducing the requirements of engagement, knowledge base, and practical skill possession in order to achieve results in education and work. However, as artificial intelligence advances and grows, it will eventually become even easier to use and access, all the while becoming less and less detectable. This will make the work in many fields, including software engineering, easier to do, and the ability to bullcrap your way through certain fields using artificial intelligence increases.
Although, yes: more creative minds will be able to do what they want, the issue comes in the form of people who are under-qualified for the position they are in. Thus, finding ways to force/ensure students to actively learn content will have to be large consideration for future educators to ensure they are passing students who actually understand what they are doing.
The introduction of artificial intelligence has sparked both enthusiasm and concern, particularly within computer programming and development fields like software engineering. Its ability to handle tasks, generate content, and solving problems has created ethical quandaries (wow, big word by AI-chan… or is it?), notably regarding copyright concerns and the neglect of the development of critical thinking skills. This reliance on AI has many implications: like forcing the hands of educators’ approaches to stop students from utilizing their ability to circumvent the need for deep comprehension and dependence on artificial intelligence. This is all for the sake of preventing bad habits developed in classrooms from carrying into professional environments.
Even in software engineering, with our culture of “borrowing”,there is a problem of people not knowing the how and why of what they’re borrowing. Artificial intelligence, then, exacerbates our problem with being EXTREMELY easy to use and efficient. The manual repetition we all suffer from in programming can be like you’re developing an aneurysm and carpal tunnel, so AI-chan looks VERY seductive (“alluring” was supposed to be there, but I think the word choice is funny)… However, people do not keep in mind that artificial intelligence falls apart as problems get more complex, which is almost always inevitable.
Ultimately, the use of artificial intelligence stands at a crossroads, and it is up to everybody who are students, workers who use computers, and educators, to find their balance after understanding the implications of it. For me, I believe we must use it as an aid, and not a wheelchair. After all:
“When I walk up to my friend with a cast and kick out their crutch, I love laughing at them hopping around like an idiot. But I don’t steal wheelchairs. It’s [messed] up laughing at people who are genuinely helpless.”
Deep quote from a friend who wishes to remain unnamed
Don’t be helpless when artificial intelligence is robbed from you. Learn and make mistakes. You are human after all.