This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

With the semester almost halfway over, many students still use artificial intelligence as a crutch for several different reasons. AI is just one of the newly advanced technologies that continues to change every day. While many see AI as only having advantages, there are also disadvantages.

Summarizing Notes: AI is able to summarize college lectures and notes into short videos and text. This can create a quick level of concentration that college students may need. At times, students will avoid reading their assignments just because they cannot maintain concentration.

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Gain Ideas: The ultimate idea giver is ChatGPT, which is an AI software that people may use every day. The AI software can give a variety of ideas from any category based on the number of responses it receives daily, which allows it to improve every day.

@chatgpt
Ask–me–clarifying–questions. 📹: @Jessica Camilleri-Shelton
♬ original sound – chatgpt
Grammar Check: Some AI softwares can even provide a checker to erase any chances of human error, for example, Grammarly. A majority might use this to check their grammar on an essay and even to spell check.

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The benefits of AI are very simple in that it can provide assistance for the simplest tasks. However, the negatives outweigh the positives. There has been a recent trend in students using AI in their academics to do the work for them — creating a new rubric system to receive a zero if a person is found using AI.

@samharrisorg
From Sam’s TED talk, “Can we build AI without losing control over it?” #SamHarris #artificialintelligence #ai #chatgpt #philosophy
♬ original sound – Sam Harris

The main issue AI continues to bring is that it can be a shortcut for assignments. Students may use this software to look up videos or simple how-tos to make their academic career easier. An example might be looking up how to remove wisdom teeth — if you are in any profession, asking these questions to an AI is proof that the academic standard has dropped.

Students may use these AI softwares to suggest their essay topic and receive a completed essay. In most cases, it is very noticeable if an essay is written by an AI system based on sentence structure and the ability to see how much of it is written by the student: plagiarism. This introduces the topic in classes to avoid using AI when it comes to writing in your own words, especially for a heavily graded project.

@ibgrad
if you’re ever falsely accused of using AI in university, here’s EXACTLY what you should do + what to do now to prevent it in the future! #studentlife #studytok #studytips #studentadvice #aitoolsforstudents #aiwebsites #studyadvice #studyadvice #universitystudent #chatgpt #aidetection transcript: I was falsely accused of using AI to write a paper for university. I didn’t use AI, and I was able to prove it. Here’s exactly what I did, step by step, and what you should do if you ever find yourself in the same position. First, I exposed the flaws in AI detectors. I focused on how unreliable these tools can be, especially for non-native English speakers. In my email to the professor, I cited credible research, including a 2023 Stanford study that found GPTZero had a 61% false positive rate for ESL students. I also referenced a 2024 internal report from Texas Tech University, which raised concerns about the high false positive error rates of AI detection software in academic settings. Second, I showed proof of authorship using Google Docs. The version history captured every sentence I wrote, along with timestamps, providing an easy and clear way to demonstrate my writing process. Third, I started using a tool called Draftback. Although I didn’t use it for that specific paper, I’ve been using it ever since. Draftback is a free Chrome extension that replays your writing process like a screen recording, offering visual, timestamped proof that no AI could fake. Fourth, I cross-referenced my bibliography with MyBib. Since MyBib shows the exact time I accessed each source, I matched those timestamps with my writing timeline, like accessing an article at 4:03 PM and writing the corresponding paragraph at 4:06 PM. Everything lined up. Fifth, I shared my browser history and multiple drafts. This helped demonstrate how my ideas developed over time. If you’re ever accused, make sure to keep your outlines, early versions, and research notes as backup. Sixth, I compared the flagged paper with one I wrote last semester that had never been questioned. I ran the old paper through the same AI detector, and it was flagged too. I showed this to my professor and explained, “This proves it’s just how I write, not AI.” Seventh, I advised caution with tools like Grammarly or Quillbot. If you use them, avoid letting them rewrite full sentences. That robotic tone can set off AI detectors. Stick to using these tools for grammar fixes only and keep your writing voice human. Finally, don’t apologize. Don’t admit fault just to avoid conflict. Stay calm, request the AI detector report, and walk your professor through your writing process step by step
♬ original sound – IBtherapy

Some students may even use AI on quizzes and tests to make sure they get a good grade. There are some softwares that only need a picture of the question to give an accurate answer, and sometimes it will not provide the correct answer.

@iamkylebalmer
why AI is a disaster for education – writing doesn’t come after thinking. Writing IS thinking. and AI robs us of the process #learnai #student #university #chatgpt
♬ original sound – iamkylebalmer

To overcome this you need to have notes, attend the lectures, do the readings and most importantly: start limiting your AI intake. It is impossible to completely avoid AI, even outside of academics, such as telephone calls, ordering food and watching videos. The easiest way to begin this is to write down at least five ideas every day, ideas you’ve created, not AI. Creating these ideas will allow you to have a clear understanding of your beliefs versus what AI wants you to believe.

Your brain is a lot more reliable than AI for assistance. It may seem hard to do the research for your classes versus doing a quick five-minute AI search, based on time management. This creates the ultimate concern for those graduating college: am I truly job-ready or AI-ready?

AI in College: Advantage or Academic Dishonesty?

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