Artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
I remember when my uncle, Steve, came to me in late 2022 with his telephone and what looked like a messenger app open. He told me it was an “artificial intelligence” called Chat GPT, and it had just been released to public beta testers. Then, right there, he asked, demanded, that it create me a story with myself as the main charter. And it did. With remarkable speed, it created a real story. It, now lost to time, with a beginning, a middle, and an end; a conflict, and a setting.
Going through my mind in that moment could only be described as amazement, astonishment, and excitement. I wanted to get my hands on it, test its capabilities and limits. See what other remarkable things it could do.
Today, a little over three years later, this technology is ubiquitous. Across schools, corporations and homes, AI is in the hands of so many people.
But now, the excitement and astonishment has faded, and simmering issues begin to boil. Academic integrity, critical thinking, creativity, and our climate are all on the line as we turn ourselves into astronauts as our homework is done for us. Artificial Intelligence is arguably one of the most quickly developing technologies in human history, which makes it incredibly dangerous.
This speed makes it very difficult for the user to determine appropriate, safe and equitable use of AI. Understanding a greatly powerful tool and how to wield it can, and does, create wonderful things. AI is not going anywhere, and our knowledge plasticity on its responsible use is crucial for a plausible, continued use.
When should I use AI?
There are many AI use frameworks for specific industries and cases, however below is a general framework based on my experience and research.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I have the skills to do this myself?
- Could an AI complete this work significantly faster?
- If so, do I benefit more than marginally from the time gained?
- Would I lose out on any knowledge or understanding if I do not complete this work myself?
- Would any people receiving or consuming this work disprove or prohibit the use of AI? In other words; is AI allowed in this case?
- Does the use of AI sacrifice the accuracy of the information in this work?
- Does this work benefit intrinsically from a human creator or developer?
Note: Generally mindless and mundane tasks — data entry, proofreading — leave room for AI collaboration or automation.
If you find the answer of any of these questions to be yes, the use of AI is not recommended. However, if you can confidently answer no to the complete framework above, AI may be a valuable tool for your case.
If you do, please invest some time into learning how to craft effective and efficient prompts for AI. I recommend MIT’s guide below.
Bibliography
“Effective Prompts for AI: The Essentials - MIT Sloan Teaching & Learning Technologies.” MIT Sloan Teaching & Learning Technologies, 30 May 2025, mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics/effective-prompts/. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Newbold, Curtis. “Should I Use AI? A Visual Guide for the Appropriate Use of Artifical Intelligence - the Comm Spot.” The Comm Spot, 16 Sept. 2025, thecommspot.com/should-i-use-ai-a-visual-guide-for-the-appropriate-use-of-artifical-intelligence/. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Hurley, Ryan. “ChatGPT — a Turning Point for Software Development.” Medium, 21 Jan. 2023, medium.com/@ryan-hurley/chatgpt-a-turning-point-for-software-development-63b5a2c6356a. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
“How to Know When to Use AI - Christopher Butler.” Chrbutler.com, 2024, www.chrbutler.com/2024-05-02. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.