Artificial Intelligence

UC Berkeley Prof Used AI in Op-Ed on Student Math Gaps

Is this piece a sign of deep academic rot or a valid warning about declining standards?

5 hours ago·Updated 1 hour ago

UC Berkeley Prof Used AI in Op-Ed on Student Math Gaps

Story

Above: Sather Tower on the University of California, Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California, on June 4, 2021. Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

While the irony of a professor complaining about declining standards in academia using AI is rich, this just goes to show how deep the rot in academia has spread. The students arrive without basic skills a cohort a generation ago would have, and the professors use the same cheating tools they try, and fail, to prohibit students from using. Higher education is in dire straits.

Intelligencer The New York Times

Narrative B

Stankova had no qualms about admitting to AI use, and her broader point still stands: without standardized testing, colleges and universities will not select the best and brightest applicants. In fact, the declining standards we see in education mean that AI will remain a crutch, not a tool, for students. This easy gotcha changes nothing.

NPR The Guardian