A psychology professor recently shared insights on artificial intelligence (AI) in education through an opinion piece in The Bangor Daily News. She stressed that while not all students will pursue careers in technology, they are likely to encounter AI in their workplaces.
According to her, students must develop confidence in critically and knowledgeably engaging with AI. “Before we focus on AI usage, the priority should be AI literacy,” she explained. She has observed that AI can be a valuable educational tool, assisting students in refining ideas and identifying minor errors when drafting papers or designing experiments.
However, she cautions that AI models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek’s R1, despite their strong performance on certain tests, lack the ability to thoughtfully synthesize multiple credible sources or provide nuanced answers to complex, open-ended questions. Understanding these limitations is essential when interacting with AI, she noted.
To equip students for AI-related challenges, she advocates for a hands-on, experiential learning approach. “Instead of simply providing students with AI tools and letting them navigate these ‘black boxes’ on their own, they need structured guidance,” she argued. This includes demonstrating how AI models learn, identifying their weaknesses, and analyzing their failures with concrete examples, scientific rigor, and dedicated coursework.
In line with this approach, Bowdoin College was awarded a three-year grant by the Davis Foundation to support its “AI in Teaching Initiative,” which aims to enhance AI understanding and integration in education.
