Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing education while making discovering more accessible however also sparking disputes on its impact.

While students hail AI tools like ChatGPT for enhancing their knowing experience, lecturers are raising concerns about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and weakens academic stability, especially with lots of students not able to protect their projects or offered works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, revealed frustration over the growing dependence on AI-generated responses among students stating a current experience he had.

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"I offered an assignment to my MBA students, and out of over 100 students, about 40% sent the precise same responses. These students did not even know each other, but they all used the very same AI tool to create their reactions," he said.

He kept in mind that this pattern is widespread amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is specifically worrying in part-time and distance knowing programs.

"AI is a severe difficulty when it concerns assignments. Many trainees no longer believe critically-they simply browse the web, create answers, and send," he added.

Surprisingly, some speakers are also implicated of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both educators and students turn to AI for benefit instead of intellectual rigor.

This debate raises crucial concerns about the function of AI in academic stability and student development.

According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million month-to-month active users in January 2023, just one nation had actually released guidelines on generative AI since July 2023.

Since December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million people using the AI chatbot every week and 1 billion messages sent every day around the globe.

Decline of scholastic rigor

University lecturers are progressively worried about trainees sending AI-generated projects without really comprehending the material.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, asteroidsathome.net revealed his issues to Nairametrics about students significantly counting on ChatGPT, just to have a hard time with answering fundamental questions when tested.

"Many students copy from ChatGPT and submit sleek assignments, however when asked basic concerns, they go blank. It's disappointing since education is about discovering, not just passing courses," he said.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu pointed out that the increasing number of first-class graduates can not be entirely credited to AI but admitted that even high-performing students utilize these tools.


"A first-class student is a first-class trainee, AI or not, however that doesn't indicate they don't cheat. The benefits of AI may be peripheral, but it is making students reliant and less analytical," he stated.

- Another speaker, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different issue that some lecturers themselves are guilty of the very same practice.


"It's not just students using AI slackly. Some speakers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course details, marking plans, and even exam concerns with AI without reviewing them. Students in turn use AI to create answers. It's a cycle of laziness and it is killing real learning," he lamented.

Students' viewpoints on use

Students, on the other hand, say AI has enhanced their knowing experience by making scholastic products more understandable and accessible.

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration student at Unilag, wino.org.pl shared how AI has significantly helped her knowing by breaking down complex terms and supplying summaries of prolonged texts.


"AI assisted me understand things more quickly, especially when handling intricate subjects," she discussed.

However, she recalled a circumstances when she used AI to submit her job, just for her lecturer to right away recognize that it was created by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad effect.

- Bryan Okwuba, who recently graduated with a top-notch degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, securely believes that his academic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his impressive grades to actively interesting by asking concerns and concentrating on locations that lecturers highlight in class, as they are frequently reflected in exam concerns.


"It's everything about existing, taking note, and using the wealth of knowledge shared by my colleagues," he said,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, confesses to sometimes copying directly from ChatGPT when dealing with several deadlines.


"To be honest, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have numerous due dates, and I understand I'm guilty of that, the majority of times the lecturers don't get to review them, however AI has actually likewise helped me find out quicker."

Balancing AI's role in education

Experts think the solution lies in AI literacy; teaching students and lecturers how to utilize AI as a knowing help instead of a shortcut.

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the combination of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the significance of a well balanced technique that keeps human involvement while harnessing AI to enhance discovering outcomes.


"As we navigate the rapidly developing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is crucial that we prioritise human agency in education. We should make sure that AI enhances, instead of changes, teachers' crucial function in shaping young minds," he stated

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity change professional, resolved growing concerns regarding using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their potential threats to the academic system.

- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, nevertheless, emphasized the need for caution in its use.

- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance among educators and schools toward integrating AI tools in finding out environments. She identified two main reasons AI tools are prevented in educational settings: security risks and plagiarism. She described that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to react based on user interactions, which might not align with the expectations of educators.


"It is not looking at it as a tutor," Akintade said, discussing that AI doesn't cater to specific mentor methods.

Plagiarism is another problem, as AI pulls from existing information, frequently without appropriate attribution

"A lot of individuals require to comprehend, like I said, this is information that has been trained on. It is not just bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing info that some other people are fed into it, which in essence suggests that is another person's paperwork," she cautioned.

- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early concern in AI development referred to as "hallucination," where AI tools would produce details that was not factual.


"Hallucination suggested that it was highlighting information from the air. If ChatGPT could not get that information from you, it was going to make one up," she described.

She recommended "grounding" AI by offering it with particular information to prevent such mistakes.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that banning AI tools outright is not the service, especially when AI presents an opportunity to leapfrog conventional educational methods.

- She believes that regularly strengthening key info assists individuals keep in mind and prevent making mistakes when faced with obstacles.


"Immersion brings conversion. When you tell individuals the very same thing over and over once again, when they are about to make the mistakes, then they'll keep in mind."

She also empasized the need for clear policies and procedures within schools, noting that lots of schools should deal with individuals and procedure aspects of this usage.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has resorted to in-class tasks and tests to counter AI-driven scholastic dishonesty.


"Now, I primarily utilize projects to guarantee trainees offer initial work." However, he acknowledged that handling big classes makes this approach tough.

"If you set intricate questions, trainees won't have the ability to use AI to get direct answers," he described.

He stressed the need for universities to train lecturers on crafting examination concerns that AI can not easily solve while acknowledging that some lecturers battle to counter AI misuse due to an absence of technological awareness. "Some speakers are analogue," he said.

- Nigeria launched a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, focusing on ethical AI advancement with fairness, transparency, responsibility, and privacy at its core.

- UNESCO in a report calls for the regulation of AI in education, recommending organizations to examine algorithms, data, and outputs of generative AI tools to ensure they satisfy ethical requirements, protect user information, and filter unsuitable material.

- It worries the need to assess the long-term impact of AI on critical abilities like believing and creativity while producing policies that line up with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO advises carrying out age restrictions for GenAI usage to secure younger students and secure vulnerable groups.
- For governments, it recommended embracing a collaborated nationwide approach to regulating GenAI, consisting of developing oversight bodies and lining up guidelines with existing information defense and personal privacy laws. It highlights assessing AI risks, implementing stricter guidelines for high-risk applications, and ensuring national data ownership.