Erica Siaulnski, Staff Writer
Lately, AI has sparked debates around the world, at multiple universities, colleges, public and private schools. With the quickly growing, intensely powerful, intelligent technologically based systems that spit out the answer to almost anything you could possibly need to know, teachers and professors alike are unable to keep up with the levels of cheating and information that students have access to now. Surveys, questions, AI detectors, teachers and professors can’t seem to prevent the use of ai inside and outside the classroom. With programs like Google adapting an AI assistant and offering “AI mode”, it’s evident that AI isn’t going anywhere.
Recently it was announced that Brightspace, the program used by many universities, will be implementing AI into this program, as an assistant named Lumi. This “assistant” was described as a pop-up assistant that will appear in the bottom corner, and the user will be able to directly type in questions. The assistant will be able to use AI and deliver answers to the user quickly and efficiently. This assistant is supposed to “make workflow move more quickly and more efficiently”, offering answers quickly to workers, and providing videos and more documents about the research the user is doing. Ideally, this program is supposed to help those who struggle to manage Brightspace and struggle more with the technological side of work online. Yet, it still has the power to answer questions outside of Brightspace mechanics. Some question if this is an attempt at boosting homework grades and completion of out of class work by relieving a little bit of the workload and offering more assistance.
If the user needs more help after using Lumi, they are able to contact a live agent for support and help with whatever they are working on. After closing Lumi, you are prompted to rate your experience and provide feedback on how Lumi could improve.
The irony of this is that after months, years even, of trying to crack down on the use of AI in school, universities are providing it right next to your assignments. Others claim that it’s more ethical to use the AI provided to you as opposed to using outside sources that may not be as direct or helpful. This way, the university is able to somewhat monitor the use and answers that the AI assistant provides.
Lumi is not a new AI program by any means and has been used by other institutions for different reasons. IT programs have used Lumi before and found it very successful in reducing workload and offering help to those who needed it. Lumi also offers helpful study guides and assistance in understanding the material more which of course is the ideal use for the assistant and its abilities. Colleges are offering workshops to discuss how Lumi works and its effects. Along with observing how it works and professors’ chances to listen in on this major change and what it means for the trajectory of college work and degrees.
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