Generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT have become indispensable tools for students across Singapore, helping with everything from essay ideation to concept explanations. But their widespread use raises critical questions about academic integrity and over-reliance on technology. Four Christian students from both local and foreign tertiary institutions share how they navigate school AI policies and draw personal boundaries in using these tools. As AI becomes ubiquitous in education, how can students harness its benefits without compromising the critical thinking skills that make us distinctly human?
Artificial intelligence (AI) comprises a vast range of products with equally numerous applications. The recent years have seen a rapidly growing use of AI in schools, largely in the form of generative AI chatbots. Many students in Singapore would be most familiar with ChatGPT, one such free-to-use AI chatbot. It is an asset for use in academics, aiding in anything from solving problem sums to writing essays. I myself have found it particularly useful in generating ideas, outlines and examples for essays, saving precious time and effort. It can also be used to supplement learning by providing explanations on difficult concepts or providing feedback on writing assignments.
And yet the use of AI in schools has become a source of some contention. It is not difficult to copy and paste entire essays or information for assignments off AI and pass it off as your own work. Not only does this reflect a poor work attitude, but it is also a lost opportunity to develop important soft skills, such as research, critical thinking and creativity. The debate on the use of AI in schools has been further fuelled by incidents at various local institutions. For instance, at NTU, three students were each awarded a zero-mark for their final essays due to their supposed use of AI.1 One of the students rebutted the accusation; the other two admitted to using AI, though only to aid their background research and citation formatting. Meanwhile at NUS, an academic paper was found to contain a hidden prompt intended to sway AI-generated peer reviews, such that they would only be positive.2 As the use and applications of AI burgeon, it comes as little surprise that such charges of misuse are also mushrooming. There are also instances that seem to show, not so much misuse, but missed opportunities, such as the use of AI by some institutions for their open house publicity materials.3
So, as Christian students, how far can we, and should we, use AI in our schoolwork? It can be difficult to draw the line. School rules regarding the use of AI for schoolwork exist, but are not always clear.
What do students say about using AI?
It is important to consider our own use of AI, and come to a personal conviction on how we use it. The last thing we want is to become a generation of students over- reliant on AI, with limited ability to think for ourselves. An American journalist, Sydney J. Harris, rightly commented, “The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.”
A loss of the ability to think independently would truly be regrettable. Humans stand apart from AI in that we have a spiritual aspect—a “ruach”—the very breath of God in us. We commune with one another, go through suffering and grow in Christlikeness. AI does not. In allowing AI to think for us, our work loses a part of what makes it human. Yes, AI is unarguably much faster and more efficient than a human can ever be, but there is a certain satisfaction that comes out of putting in our own effort, giving our best in what we do. The making of mistakes, the puzzling out and the fighting through are all part of the joy found in the work God has given us.
Humans stand apart from AI in that we have a spiritual aspect—a “ruach”—the very breath of God in us. We commune with one another, go through suffering and grow in Christlikeness. AI does not. In allowing AI to think for us, our work loses a part of what makes it human.
Ultimately, like any tool, AI can be helpful or harmful depending on how it is used. It would be wise to question our motives for using AI in our work. Is it to enrich our learning? Or is it simply a convenient solution to quickly get a task over and done with? As God’s stewards set over all his creation, we are responsible for how we use AI and what we use it for. At the end of the day, it is the Lord we are accountable to.
Chloe Toh worships at Hakka Methodist Church. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Australia. / Photos courtesy of Toh Hon Hymn, Grace Loh, Zachary Yong and Josephus Kezia Anu
1 From A Students’ Prayer (Source unknown)
