Over the past few years, AI has expanded drastically, and with it has come a bombardment of notifications and reminders about “uses of AI.” And while the THS administration and teachers have been keeping a close eye on students’ use of AI, it seems that they themselves need some monitoring, after Mr. Peano sent a final exam schedule and preparation guide created by ChatGPT.

Peano claims that his AI-written memo was “a joke that was meant to be obvious.” His main goal was to share the schedule, and “as a joke, [he] asked AI to make it fun for students. That’s what it produced, and [he] thought it was funny, as it was very different from anything sent before.”

Despite his intent, students were unamused.

“No one saw his email as a joke, and if it was a joke, it was like a failed prank. If we are not allowed to use ChatGPT, how is it fair for our own Vice Principal to use it,” Hannah Benowitz (’27) said.

Not only does the “joke” seem unfair to students, but it also weakens trust between students and administrators. When students are told one thing, they expect the rulemakers to uphold the same standards. It becomes an issue of a lack of clarity in policy. Students have gotten in trouble time and time again for using AI to produce work or assist with work, raising concerns that the line between cheating and AI assistance has been blurred.  

“If an assignment is meant to teach research skills, asking ChatGPT to write the paper means the student doesn’t learn how to do research,” Peano said. “There are other tasks where students can use ChatGPT for ideas or improvement.”

So, if there are times when students can use ChatGPT for help, when are those times, and where are those guidelines available to students? Our school’s Tiger Q features an “academic integrity” section which mentions AI, but simply provides a vague list of unacceptable uses, rather than providing students and teachers with times AI use is acceptable. This lack of transparency may be cause for confusion. If provided with acceptable uses, perhaps students would have understood the “joke” that was sent out.

While students’ use of AI can be problematic, there are ways for them to use it without ‘cheating’ the assignment. The easiest way to know whether a student is allowed to use AI for something is to ask the teacher. 

“When students get in trouble, I always suggest they ask the teacher which parts of an assignment allow AI use and which don’t,” Peano said. 

Before using AI for any assignment, you should speak to your teacher to learn if AI is permitted for the use you want.