OPINION: AI is unavoidable. Students should know how to use it – Indiana Daily Student
Editor’s note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
By summer 2023, ChatGPT-3.5 had more than 100 million users just three months after release.
College students across the country were excited to finish a week’s worth of homework in two hours, tech experts heralded it as the next big thing since the internet, and companies scrambled to adopt AI, chasing billions of dollars in venture capital.
Two years later, excitement and uncertainty now coexist. Anthropic, a leading startup behind the chatbot Claude, just settled for $1.5 billion over copyright infringement during the training of its model — a reminder of AI’s legal and ethical issues.
Artificial intelligence is no longer optional for college students—it’s a skill as fundamental as writing or communicating effectively. Learning to use AI responsibly and in human-centered ways is essential for students to succeed academically and thrive in a workforce increasingly shaped by technology.
Indiana University is embracing OpenAI’s ChatGPT by giving 120,000 students, faculty, and staff free access to ChatGPT Edu, a campus-specific version of the chatbot designed for education, along with a GenAI course that teaches responsible use of AI. The rollout, starting in January 2026, will be one of the largest of its kind.
Yet, IU has not addressed the risk that our diplomas may become outdated by the time we graduate. As AI automates tasks once reserved for college graduates, from engineering to journalism, students without AI literacy may find their skills less relevant in an AI-driven workforce.
Companies are pushing a quasi-utopia where agentic AI models replace most college-educated workers, rendering graduates out-of-date.
Are we staring at a bleak future?
The answer is nuanced.
IU’s push toward AI will positively affect students’ educational experience by encouraging literacy of emerging technology, preparing them for an increasingly AI-driven workforce.
Corporate AI efforts are multifaceted, Tech giants such as Google have long faced criticism for using AI to collect and monetize user data, and for developing algorithms that encourage addictive “doom-scrolling.”. Yet these same companies, through divisions like DeepMind, are also advancing biomedicine by applying AI to protein and genome prediction, accelerating drug discovery and enabling earlier cancer screening.
AI is changing who gets hired and how work is done. The creator of ChatGPT, Sam Altman, spoke about the rise of new billion-dollar companies built by solo entrepreneurs who master AI tools. One example is Base44, founded by Maor Shlomo, which reached 300,000 users and $3.5M in revenue within six months before being acquired by Wix for $80M in 2025.
Two years ago, the conversation centered on AI’s promise for an exciting future. Now, it often turns to workforce replacement and even cases of AI psychosis. — when vulnerable users slip into conspiratorial or delusional thinking through AI conversations.
Though most discussions focus on high-stakes environments, there’s another angle — AI designed to make people more fruitful, rather than to completely replace them.
Classroom AI tools show how technology can support students and tutors alike, enhancing learning rather than replacing human guidance
NotebookLLM allows students to upload course material and study with an AI tutor through quizzes and in-depth explanations.
Another good example is Otter.ai, which records audio and generates accurate transcripts. This can help students stay focused during class and later review the transcripts or feed them into NotebookLLM to strengthen studying.
And for students looking to elevate their college careers, Bloom is especially good. Its AI model vets the best internships based on individual interests, giving users an advantage over students who are searching manually.
Scite, an AI research partner, finds the highest-quality references in seconds, which saves hours in manual researching for sources and gives students more time to write a higher-quality paper that will yield a higher grade.
These resources combine to form a powerful AI toolset for IU students. They save time and reduce busy work, providing tangible proof that human-centered AI can help people perform at their best.
As AI technology matures, it’s crucial for students to advocate for IU to adopt human-centered AI tools. Many AI companies are still unprofitable, and with a multitude of models available, competition is fierce. They often rely on large contracts, such as IU’s partnership with OpenAI, making this the perfect opportunity for students to push for change and demonstrate that their voices can shape the future of AI.
Eduardo A. Merecci Machado (he/him) is a junior studying neuroscience.
