Yesterday, I asked a student to write a short article about the latest project. They returned surprisingly quickly with a near-perfect piece. So polished that it immediately raised my suspicion. Was it the result of a ChatGPT prompt or truly the student’s own work? Most likely the former. In all my years supervising interns, I’ve never received something so well-written and in such a short time. Not once.
Since the source of the article can’t be verified, the only way to uncover its origin depends on how transparent the student chooses to be. But regardless of my suspicions, the bigger question is: Is it good or bad that students are using AI to write, to code, or gather information?
AI in education: Added value or shortcut?
The question keeps coming up. Shall we accept its wide usage and allow students to use AI in their courses, or shall we deny it and restrict its use entirely? The debate often boils down to two main perspectives.
One view is that AI is here to stay—and already supports many professional tasks. So why not teach it more actively in academic courses? Instead of evaluating students on tasks that AI can now perform, we could shift the focus to creativity, critical thinking, and how well students can leverage AI tools. Students will use AI anyway in their future jobs, so it makes sense to prepare them. Let’s teach students how to use AI appropriately to stay ahead in tomorrow’s job market.
The opposing view warns that relying on AI for tasks like writing or coding might reduce the necessary learning experiences. University is a time to gain experience with hands-on projects and practice. The famous 10,000 hours, required to achieve mastery in any field, cannot be delegated to ChatGPT. Similar to how we lost the ability to memorize phone numbers with the introduction of smartphones, AI might well dull our ability to write, think, or code independently. According to this perspective, delaying AI’s use in the classroom will be better for our brain gymnastics, experience building, and the 10,000-hours rule.
Teaching with technology
AI is not the first to disrupt education.
Calculators in the 80s
Remember the introduction of calculators in the 1980s? This also sparked debate: Should students be allowed to use calculators, which would prepare them for the modern workplace, or should they be forbidden in order to train their minds to perform calculations without help?
Now, calculators are often allowed and students’ evaluation focuses more on ascertaining the correctness and the logic of the math procedures.
The Web debate of the early 2000s
Another major debate emerged in the early 2000s: Should students be allowed to use the Web for their research? Today that seems obvious, but at that time students were required to use books and libraries to collect reliable information. The internet was still seen as unreliable; the thinking was that most sources on the web couldn’t be fully trusted. Anybody could write on Wikipedia for example, which made reliability questionable. Over time, procedures and controls have been put in place to improve the reliability of online content.
I guess we are now seeing a similar debate around AI. Are its answers reliable enough? Is AI going to increase our mental skills or paralyze them? Both opinions have valid points, as of now. Let’s hear from the people directly involved – the educators and the students - what they think.
What educators say about AI in the classroom
Since we are not directly involved in this dilemma, I asked three educators in higher institutions about their opinion on whether and how to introduce AI in academic courses.
Allow AI in the classroom, but only with transparency
Prof. Wai Fong Boh from Nanyang Technological University embraces student use of AI—so long as it’s clearly acknowledged (as commented during the CDOIQ APAC Symposium in Singapore):
At Nanyang university we do not see AI as a negative thing for the students. It helps them in performing some tasks and they will surely use it in their professional world. So, they can get familiar with it sooner rather than later and learn how to use it properly already at the university. In addition, we cannot stop the students from using AI.
So, yes. We allow and do not discourage the students from using AI for their studies. With one condition: transparency. If they use AI to write code, they must state so in the report. If they use AI to write the report, they must state that in the acknowledgements section, as they should do if they got help from a colleague. Transparency helps us with the evaluation of the projects and somehow it places a watermark on anything that was created with AI.Prof. Wai Fong BohNanyang Technological University
Teach AI as a cognitive amplifier, not as a cognitive replacement
Prof. Alessandro Zonin from the University of Verona (Italy) advocates a teaching paradigm that enhances their capabilities and prepares students to use generative AI thoughtfully:
In my teaching experience, I've observed what I call the 'super wow effect' when students encounter generative AI - it's qualitatively different from their reaction to traditional AI/ML concepts. This presents us with a fascinating educational paradox: while there's legitimate concern about students becoming overly dependent on AI tools and potentially losing fundamental skills, I believe the greater risk lies in not preparing them for an AI-augmented workplace.
The key is teaching students to use generative AI as a cognitive amplifier rather than a cognitive replacement. When properly guided, AI can accelerate the development of mental models and serve as a catalyst for rapid skill acquisition, helping students maintain intellectual plasticity while learning to work symbiotically with these powerful tools. The question isn't whether students should use AI, but how we can teach them to use it thoughtfully to enhance rather than replace their human capabilities.Prof. Alessandro ZoninUniversity of Verona
Design AI-resistant challenges to prioritize active learning
Prof. Ulrik Brandes from ETH in Zurich (Switzerland) answers a “yes, but ...”:
“Do I allow students in my course to use AI? Yes. Because there is no avoiding it. But I disapprove. Therefore, I try to create learning environments in which AI is not that helpful or cannot be integrated into the very challenge.
Some students argue that AI makes them solve exercises and write papers more efficiently, and I do not dispute that. Being liberated from seemingly tedious tasks, however, is a good thing only if they are unessential or have been mastered. Passively consuming a solution does not provide the same benefits as actively constructing it. As a byproduct, avoiding using AI, it safeguards you against parroting hallucinations and more sinister falsehoods.”Prof. Ulrik BrandesETH in Zurich
As you can see, there are many different points of view about students using AI, all points trying to balance the inevitable usage of AI with the need for the students to metabolize concepts and techniques.
What students say about AI in the classroom
I also asked two students, who use AI anyway for many of their tasks, whether and why AI should be accepted in the classroom.
Use AI more but with boundaries and accountability
Patricia Bacelar studies at ISCTE Business School in Portugal and is currently an intern at KNIME. Patricia has very clear ideas on this subject, thinking that AI can enrich learning but must be paired with reflection and critical thinking.
“In my view, AI should be encouraged in the classroom, but with clear boundaries. It can offer perspectives and sources that even teachers might not always have immediate access to. This creates opportunities for richer discussions and more personalized learning. That said, it’s important to ensure that students are engaging with the content, not just copying answers.One possible solution would be to complement AI-assisted work with oral assessments or reflective tasks, where students must explain or defend their ideas. This way, we promote responsible usage and keep academic integrity in check. In short, AI shouldn’t be forbidden - it should be integrated wisely into education, always with a focus on critical thinking and student accountability.”Patricia BacelarISCTE Business School
Skill-building without AI is key to developing independent thinking
Alneeda San from Public Health-Global Health major at the University of Washington (USA), states that there is a time for everything: a time to build core skills and a time to use AI.
I believe students should be using AI in education, but with thoughtful guidance. Just like how we teach media literacy and internet safety, students need to learn how to use AI responsibly. Since AI is already becoming deeply integrated in our systems in society, it makes more sense to teach proper use than to simply allow or ban it on assignments. That said, I believe that timing really matters. Introducing AI before students develop core skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity can negatively impact their ability to think independently.
In early education, the focus should be on building those skills without AI. Once students reach high school or college, they’re better prepared to use AI as a tool to enhance their learning. Schools should actively support AI use and provide guidance on how to engage with it responsibly. Failing to do so can deepen existing inequalities in socioeconomic status, limit readiness for the workforce, and increase the risk of misuse.Alneeda SanPublic Health-Global Health major at the University of Washington (USA)
AI in the classroom: What the corporate world says
In this battle of students against educators about the usage of AI for learning, I would like to throw in an external factor: the corporate world, which in the end will hire the current students.
Saying no to AI is no longer an option
In a conversation with Santosh Nair from Siemens Healthineers, we explored whether AI is a friend or a fiend in education and surprisingly for an IT tech professional, Santosh ended up advocating the human factor.
Here is a summary of that conversation (you can also find it in this LinkedIn post).
AI Tools are making us lazy,” a student told me when I asked about AI's impact on their education. It was honest, unfiltered, and resonated with everyone present. And here's the reality: saying 'no' to AI isn't an option anymore.
But how do we address concerns like this as AI becomes deeply embedded, even in our learning systems? We need to keep in mind a few crucial thoughts.
- To become truly data-driven, our Data, Platforms, and People ecosystems must work in harmony. One without the others will fail.
- AI is dual-edged, a powerful ally when used with wisdom and ethics, but a liability when misused or misunderstood.
- The skill landscape is shifting, even for data professionals who need new capabilities like AI literacy, prompt engineering, ethical practices, and critical interpretation of AI outputs.
- Universal Data and AI literacy is the need and can no longer be reserved for techies. Every role, at every level, and everywhere needs human-centered strategies for this transformation.
- Education is evolving, not disappearing, so educators need to transition from traditional tutors and lecturers to becoming coaches, facilitators, and co-learners alongside the students.
So, the future isn't about choosing between human skills and AI – it's about fostering our uniquely human and adaptive capabilities to work in tandem with artificial intelligence.
Santosh NairSiemens Healthineers
During this conversation, I found interesting the mention of the human factor in IT, i.e. in a traditionally machine-logic dominated field. This resonated with my personal opinion that AI will favor a return to fame of the human sciences and of the arts in the years to come.
The KNIME AI Teaching Package
Wherever you stand on the usage of AI in education, we do believe that AI is here to stay. KNIME offers practical tools and free resources to help educators bring AI into the classroom with confidence.
- K-AI is KNIME’s AI assistant, to help students learn how to build workflows, and an AI extension to integrate calls to AI within workflows.
- The KNIME Learning Center includes a free self-paced course on how to integrate AI in workflows. Look out too for when this course is available as an instructor-led online course for a small fee.
- The AI Learnathon is a hands-on opportunity to learn about authentication, prompt engineering, hallucinations, RAG procedures, AI governance, and generally how to fit all of that in your workflow project. This AI Learnathon is held at locations around the world, – in 2024 it was held in 34 cities. Keep your eye on KNIME Events for a new version of the AI Learnathon, coming soon, including examples and instructions for Agentic AI.
- Discover a GenAI cheat sheet which can be used as a teaching guide with exercises.
These resources and more are available as a package for educators: KNIME AI Teaching package
This package is free and available for download from the KNIME Educators Alliance portal (like many other teaching packages).
It includes:
- Over 400 reusable slides and workflows teaching how to integrate AI into your education curriculum
- The material to run a GenAI Learnathon
- The GenAI Cheat sheet with commonly used AI nodes and operations
- A Teaching guide with exercises and assignments
- 10 GenAI use cases, including text and image creation, sentiment analysis, data generation, and AI agents
We’re currently working on an Agentic AI teaching package. Until then, take advantage of this AI teaching package to integrate AI in your upcoming courses.