Have you scrolled through social media lately and found yourself wondering if the videos you’re watching are made by AI? It seems like AI is all around us these days. On college campuses, the use of AI has become as common as midnight coffee runs.
For many, AI is seemingly the new standard for learning in college. At Northeastern University, students receive a free subscription to Claude Premium. The university claims that “what makes Claude especially unique is its ability to expound on its reasoning, allowing you to learn as you interact with it.” At the same time, Northeastern’s stance highlights that the “use of Claude is subject to the university’s Policy on the Use of AI Systems.”
This raises an important question: Is AI undermining academic integrity, or expanding what students are capable of creating?
AI is becoming increasingly integrated into coursework across various disciplines. In math and science, it can help break down complex topics. In computer science, it provides coding and debugging support. In the humanities, it serves as a great thought partner for discussions and brainstorming, offering points students might not have considered. Professors are also adapting, designing more and more assignments with AI in mind. Some openly encourage AI use while others restrict it entirely. Across departments, “AI-aware” syllabi are becoming the norm, though expectations still feel a little ambiguous depending on who is teaching the course.
The Case For AI
AI can be a great creative jumpstart, helping students break out of writer’s block or work through difficult concepts. It offers quick explanations, instant study guides and practice problems on demand. It can even help students refine project ideas they are struggling to articulate.
And honestly? I’ve been there. As I stared at the D on my Financial Management exam, I knew something had to change. I subscribed to ChatGPT Pro, uploaded every file and note I had and asked it to break down the formulas, walk me through practice problems and quiz me like a personal tutor. Between the explanations, step-by-step solutions and endless practice tests, AI basically became my study partner. Safe to say, I was able to turn that D into an A.
There’s also an equity angle that I appreciate: AI can help level the academic playing field. Not every student can afford private tutors, attend office hours or have someone at home to look over essays. Tools like Claude offer students immediate feedback and guidance, no matter their background or budget. In that sense, AI doesn’t just make school easier; it makes it more accessible.
The Case Against AI
But on the flip side, real concerns come with the use of AI. The biggest one I hear from peers is a fear of overreliance. When AI can outline your paper, refine your argument and edit your paragraphs, it’s easy to become comfortable — maybe too comfortable.
There’s also the academic integrity tension. Some students feel pressured to use AI because they assume everyone else is. Others can’t tell where the line lies between receiving help and letting AI do the work for them.
Perhaps the biggest concern is one we don’t talk about nearly enough: We still don’t fully understand the long-term impact of leaning heavily on tools that think for us. What happens to creativity when it’s partially outsourced? What happens when we can’t distinguish between being inspired by AI and copying its ideas? AI may not kill creativity, but it can flatten originality if we stop challenging ourselves.
Student Voices
When talking to friends at Northeastern, I hear everything from, “I literally couldn’t survive my coding class without Chat” to, “Honestly, I think AI is making everyone lazy.” Some people love it because it makes learning feel more accessible and less stressful. Others worry that it’s being overused, leaving students unable to think for themselves.
Most students seem to fall somewhere in the middle: grateful for the support, but worried about the consequences.
Where Professors Stand
Professor reactions are mixed, to say the least.
Some professors are fully on board. They treat AI like the new calculator and see it as a tool that frees students to focus on higher-level thinking. These professors redesign assignments to incorporate AI use and teach students how to prompt effectively.
Other professors take a hardline approach. They feel that AI shortcuts the learning process and risks creating assignments that all sound the same. In these classes, “DO NOT USE AI” is written in bold, underlined and probably in red.
With no universal policy in place, students often must navigate these expectations on a class-by-class basis, only adding to the confusion.
Bottom Line
Personally, I think AI is an incredible tool, and we should leverage it to make our lives easier when we can.
That said, we should not use it mindlessly or excessively. The more we depend on it, the easier it becomes to stop trusting our own abilities — and I don’t think any of us want to graduate feeling like we can’t write, think or problem-solve without turning to AI.
There’s also the environmental impact, which is rarely discussed. AI models require enormous energy to run, and as usage skyrockets, so does the carbon footprint. If universities, including Northeastern, are going to expand AI access, then there needs to be an equal investment in research, sustainability and greener infrastructure.
So no, I don’t think AI is ruining college. But I also don’t think it’s saving it. The educational landscape is changing rapidly, and we need to be intentional about how we integrate it into our learning.
Let AI spark your creativity, but don’t let it replace it.