The expert spoke about the risks of thoughtless use of neural networks by students

Students are increasingly using neural networks to prepare for exams and write academic papers, but mindlessly copying artificial intelligence (AI) responses can only create the illusion of knowledge. Anna Korczak, an employee of the International Laboratory for Design and Research in Online Learning at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia on May 10 how to properly use neural networks in learning without harming the educational process.

According to the expert, the main mistake of students is the perception of artificial intelligence as an "excellent student", from whom you can simply copy the ready answer.

"Neural networks today are like an endless digital library that instantly finds the necessary information in a huge archive. But it is important to understand that when a person accesses a neural network without a detailed context, it does not "understand" what the person already knows and what they need to continue learning, which topics have already been covered in the course, what level of complexity is required and what skills need to be mastered," Korczak said.

The expert emphasized that AI is not able to replace a teacher, as it does not build an individual educational trajectory for a student and does not complicate tasks for developing skills. For example, the HSE laboratory has identified several principles for effective work with neural networks. According to Korczak, AI should be used as an assistant for information retrieval and analytics, rather than as a tool that fully performs tasks for a person.

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"Real meaningful growth occurs only when AI acts precisely as an assistant, and not as a tool that does everything for a person," she explained.

The expert added that the safe limit for using AI in educational work can be considered to be up to 50% of the generated content. At the same time, it is important for the student to independently analyze the material, formulate conclusions and refine the model's answers.

The specialist drew special attention to the importance of group work with AI. According to her, discussing the generated content with other students helps to avoid mechanical copying and promotes meaningful learning.

"Learning with AI requires much more self-control, especially if the student is working with it one-on-one. And self—monitoring in three aspects - the type of tasks that AI helps with, the amount of support we request from AI, and involvement in finalizing AI responses. All this is quite feasible if a person realizes the true value of the knowledge they receive and does not seek a simplified path," concluded Korczak.

Earlier, on May 5, it was reported that about half of Russian schoolchildren completely shift their homework to artificial intelligence (AI). It was noted that 1,157 people took part in the survey — children aged 6 to 17 years and their parents. It turned out that 71% of the surveyed schoolchildren use AI.: 77% of them use it in their studies, and another 62% use it to search for information.