Will colleges welcome or shun AI?

+ bracing for a government shutdown US Edition - Today's top story: Should AI be permitted in college classrooms? 4 scholars weigh in [View in browser]( US Edition | 9 September 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( In the journalism school where I began an adjunct teaching job this year, we have a strict policy against students using artificial intelligence technology, such as ChatGPT, as a writing tool. “Evidence of the use of AI in writing your stories will be viewed as an academic integrity violation,” the syllabus for my course states. “Remember that ChatGPT frequently ‘hallucinates’ and generates false information.” But not all colleges and universities are taking the same approach. While some professors shun artificial intelligence as a tool that enables students to bypass the need to think about what they write, others are encouraging students to embrace AI because they’ll inevitably encounter it in the world of work. The diversity of views on the use of AI in the classroom is reflected in a panel of [four different scholars from different fields](: Patricia A. Young of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Asim Ali of Auburn University; Shital Thekdi of the University of Richmond; and Nicholas Tampio of Fordham University. Two of the professors either ban AI or urge caution with its use. The other two require its use in specific assignments they have designed for students to better understand AI and how it could radically reshape the careers that they are preparing to enter. This week, we also liked articles about [nanoparticles](, the [darker side of Jimmy Buffett’s hit songs]( and progress toward meeting [the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals](. [ [Get a global perspective on the news, with the best of The Conversation’s journalism from around the world, twice weekly.]( ] Jamaal Abdul-Alim Education Editor Does AI enhance or cripple a person’s analytical skills? Yevhen Lahunov/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Should AI be permitted in college classrooms? 4 scholars weigh in]( Nicholas Tampio, Fordham University; Asim Ali, Auburn University; Patricia A. Young, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Shital Thekdi, University of Richmond Scholars differ over whether having students use AI in their assignments will help or hurt their careers after graduation. Many colonias along the Texas-Mexico border still lack basic infrastructure, including running water. AP Photo/Eric Gay [The US committed to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, but like other countries, it’s struggling to make progress]( Scott Schang, Wake Forest University; John Dernbach, Widener University Halfway to the SDGs’ 2030 deadline, countries have made progress, but most are struggling to meet all 17 goals. The US is no exception. A shutdown last happened in 2018. Could it happen again? Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images [Congress needs to pass 12 funding bills in 11 days to avert a shutdown – here’s why that isn’t likely]( Raymond Scheppach, University of Virginia Lawmakers have given themselves a virtually impossible task – and the stakes are high. - [The beautiful pessimism at the heart of Jimmy Buffett’s music]( Drew M. Dalton, Dominican University For Buffett, escapism was not merely some fiddling flight of fancy. 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