Professors Tame AI for College Writing

Universities are grappling with the integration of generative AI in academic settings. Benjamin Breyer, a professor at Barnard College, is developing a custom AI chatbot named Althea to assist students in academic writing, aiming to supplement their learning rather than replace it. This initiative reflects a broader trend among educators seeking to find positive applications for AI, despite some colleagues' reservations.

Professor Breyer's Althea functions as an interactive workbook, guiding students through annotation and thesis development. Unlike off-the-shelf AI, Althea is trained on course materials and exemplary student work to provide more focused feedback. This project, supported by grants, highlights a movement towards creating controlled AI environments for educational purposes, a sentiment echoed by Alexa Alice Joubin at George Washington University, who also developed an AI teaching assistant.

While experiments show mixed results, with initial tests indicating students not using AI performed better, refined versions of Althea have shown improvement. This ongoing exploration suggests that AI, when carefully designed and implemented, can serve as a valuable tool in higher education. Professors are recognizing that while AI may assist with expression, the core ideas remain the human domain, marking an exciting, albeit challenging, transition for academia.