In less than three years, Artificial Intelligence has made leaps and bounds infiltrating itself into our everyday life. Going from an anomaly confined to science fiction to an ever-looming presence, AI has quietly crept into our emails, essays, and final year dissertations. The impacts and consequences of AI are reverberating through our lives as we adapt to this new reality, while we often turn a blind eye to its more unsavoury truths. It has become a pervasive force that grows increasingly difficult to detach from, blurring the line between help and hindrance, convenience and complacency.
I think it would be a fair assessment to say there is an AI overreliance epidemic sweeping through universities across the world, and Trinity is no exception. With many a graduation post captioned “I’d like to thank ChatGPT..” and “Couldn’t have done it without you Chat x”, you begin to question, have we gone too far? Where do we draw the line between using AI as the helpful tool it can be and letting it think for us? The smallest inconveniences of academic life have been quietly overtaken by AI. Grammarly automatically polishes our syntax and even Google has been tainted. No longer do links appear, but an AI-curated package of information, neatly presented for our convenience. Independent research skills, once a necessity in academic life, are slowly being replaced by algorithmic shortcuts. Without even realising it, we are being stripped of critical thinking and problem-solving skills once needed to get a degree. When you walk into the Ussher today, you’re met with multiple glowing screens open to ChatGPT, the ultimate study partner who never tires, never procrastinates and certainly doesn’t need a €5 coffee to function. AI didn’t need to bang down the doors of Trinity, we left them wide open, welcoming it with open arms.
However, while we may feel relief avoiding a sleepless Kinsella Hall session, the unintentional effects this overreliance is having are far more detrimental than a caffeine fuelled all-nighter every once in a while. In a study conducted by MIT academics, it was found that consistent AI usage results in a significant decrease in brain activity when compared to using a search engine or independent thinking in essay writing. The researchers noted that those participants relying on AI showed reduced activation in areas of the brain that are associated with memory, decision making, and reasoning. Suddenly, our attempt to save a few hours comes at a cost more damaging than we care to notice. Critical thinking, creativity, originality and curiosity, the very skills higher education exists to nurture, are subtly eroding away. If tomorrow’s experts can no longer think independently, where does that leave the future of academia?
Currently AI’s place in the academic sphere is confusing and unclear. While Trinity’s statement regarding the use of generative AI is simple “the use of Generative AI is permitted unless otherwise stated in course handbooks”, the reality of implementing this is far more complicated. While there is undoubtedly a way in which students and staff alike can harness AI ethically while remaining academically integral, practices vary widely. Some lecturers ban the use outright while others promote educated use. This inconsistency leaves us navigating an academic landscape where the line between helpful tool and cognitive crutch is blurred. Perhaps, the challenge for academia isn’t whether AI belongs – this we seem to have made our bed with – but rather the evolution of education without outsourcing the very thinking it’s meant to teach.
While we wrestle with the intellectual consequences, there is an overarching consequence that cannot be written off as a footnote. In the age of veganism, reusable straws and carbon footprint consciousness, it seems redundant that a simple prompt into an AI engine destroys any environmental efforts made to the contrary. Behind every polished essay and instant email, there lies a hidden, sprawling network of data centres, working to satisfy our growing appetite for efficiency. These centres consume copious amounts of energy and water for cooling, in order to prevent servers from overheating. According to Business Energy UK, it is estimated that ChatGPT alone uses 148 million litres of water each day, enough to fill 59 Olympic sized swimming pools. With these centres opening at a higher frequency than ever before, our habitual AI usage poses a significant hazard to the planet’s health.
However, with our reliance on AI seemingly going nowhere anytime soon, it begs the question, should we accept this demand and attempt to supply our fanatic need to do as little work as possible? If we are to meet this insatiable need for effortless advantage, we must discover a way to power such systems sustainably. The need for renewable energy is more pressing than ever, if only motivated by our innate apathy towards critical thinking. Without such innovation, we become the ultimate hypocrites, advocating for a greener future while typing prompts that push it further from our reach. It would be worthwhile to reconcile our dependence on AI with the environmental ideals we, as a society, claim to uphold.
It is evident AI has quietly slipped into our daily lives, one small convenience at a time. A polished email here, a reworked paragraph there. It’s in these quiet exchanges that education risks losing its essence. The most significant impacts aren’t always glaring yet they carry enormous weight for our intellect, our education and the environment. With no changes evident on the horizon, we numb our minds and burden the planet as we walk headfirst into the age of academic outsourcing.
