The West Bend Current

The rise of AI has one English teacher worried about the future.

Around 2023, Danielle Schumacher, a teacher at West Bend West High School, noticed an alarming jump in the use of artificial intelligence in classwork.

Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is a new type of technology that allows machines to imitate human intelligence, learning, decision-making and problem-solving by interpreting data and algorithms.

“This (AI) continues to hurt our education system and overall work ethic,” Schumacher said. “The research shows that the more a person knows, the better they can read and write.”

Students not only in West Bend but all around the country are unknowingly affected by artificial intelligence. Schumacher says now that AI is becoming more popular, the idea of “just looking things up” is being pushed even more as of recent years, which hurts students’ work ethic and the way they think overall.

“I think that by being upfront and honest with students, especially in regards to what they lose when they allow something or someone else to do assigned work for them, we allow them to think about the consequences for themselves, especially in regards to their personal integrity,” Schumacher said.

As of now, the English department uses filters on Canvas and applies them to flag plagiarism. English I teachers are asking students to handwrite assignments instead of typing them on computers. They are also using locked Google Forms to complete on-demand writing assignments.

“If the education system wants to produce future thinkers, writers, artists and workers, we must teach young adults to learn, think and do things without the assistance of AI,” Schumacher said.

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Photo of Danielle Schumacher taken by Izaihla Moore, Current Staff.