CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As students head back to school, artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in the classroom — and one teacher says helping kids understand how AI actually works is the first step to using it responsibly.
Gary Leary teaches five classes at Cole High School and incorporates AI literacy into his curriculum.
"We're teaching the kids about AI literacy and how AI actually works, and when they can see how it works, they start to understand that maybe sometimes you shouldn't always rely on AI," Leary said.
Leary said one of the biggest issues with AI tools is the potential for inaccurate information.
"A lot of the AIs are going to have hallucinations and issues, no matter which AI it is. It's kind of the nature of AI. They use as much data as possible and not all of that data is vetted very well and so you end up having issues no matter what the AI is," Leary said.
When it comes to detecting whether a student used AI to complete an assignment, Leary said it is often straightforward.
"Students don't write their regular daily assignments the way that AI would. And so, as you learn the students a little bit better, you start to figure out how they write and how the student brain sort of operates, then you can see the difference between the AI and what the students are turning in," Leary said.
Leary said the district has taken a proactive approach to the issue.
"The district actually has a really good AI policy. We're one of the few school districts in the state that's hashed theirs out quite a bit, and the parents can actually go online to CCSD.us to see that policy," Leary said.
For parents heading into the new school year, Leary said the focus should be on making sure students are actually learning — not just leaning on AI for answers.
"The main thing is making sure that your child is learning and not just relying on the AI. AI is a wonderful tool. It can actually help students learn. But if the students just rely on it to come up with their answers for them, it's not going to do them any good," Leary said.
Leary also flagged a concern beyond academics — students forming emotional attachments to AI.
"There is issues lately with people that like become attached to their AI, sit there and talk with them and use them as a friend instead of, you know, having friends on the outside," Leary said.
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