Friend or foe: The question of Artificial Intelligence’s role in higher education

It was in Salzburg, Austria, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dedicated hours of his life to learning the craft of composing music. Like the other greats of history, Mozart developed his pieces through days spent with the piano and violin, practicing and evolving his technique.

Sitting outside of a museum dedicated to Mozart in Salzburg, Stephen Joseph McConnell spoke with KGNU about artificial intelligence-  how we can use it as a tool, but at the same time, how we must be careful to not lose our human agency from overusing it.

McConnell asked the question of how AI could have aided great figures of the past; Mozart, Woolf, Rembrandt. Could it have allowed them to develop their skills even further?

“ So if I think of Mozart doing the hard work of learning and craft practice and struggling and going through those big breakthroughs, right? In addition to having an AI that could analyze my compositions. Wow. So many breakthroughs I feel,” McConnell said. 

Stephen McConnell is on the faculty of New York University. He co-developed the certificate in communication and AI at NYU. He’s also connected to Colorado. McConnell taught a class on artificial intelligence at CU Denver and he received his PhD from Colorado State University.

A 2024 survey published by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of university students use AI in their studies. The same study found that 54% of students use AI weekly and 24% of students use it on a daily basis. 

AI use in education can look a lot of different ways – there’s corrective programs like Grammarly, generative platforms such as ChatGPT, and more.

Advocates say it can be used as an aid for both teachers and students in education. Critics often say AI is used as a way for students to avoid tasks and reduce creativity. As AI technologies continue to advance, the debate about whether it should have a role in education grows more prominent. That’s why KGNU’s Ainsley Coogan sat down for a conversation with McConnell about this topic.

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