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EN 102-04: College Composition II

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fact of life and has been for quite some time. It's only recently that we have seen it incorporated into apps for a mainstream audience. Always ask your instructor about their policy on using AI for class assignments.

Q:What is AI?
A: AI is the use of computers to imitate the behavioral aspects of human reasoning and learning.

Q:What is ChatGPT?
A: ChatGPT is a chatbot and virtual assistant that uses a Large Language Model to sort and organize data and language into a desired length, format, style, level of detail, and language. It relies on input (prompts) from users and training on data and language to mimic human language patterns and generate responses. Chat GPT has a search component, but that was not part of the original software.

Q: What is a Large Language Model?
A: A Large Language Model is a computation structure that is capable of generating language or other natural (everyday) language processing tasks. It is "trained" on massive amounts of data that it can use to predict language patterns in speech and text.

Q: How can I search the web using AI?
A: ChatGPT released ChatGPT Search in October 2024, joining a plethora of other AI-assisted search tools. ChatGPT Search will choose to search the web based on what you ask, or you can manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon. Most search engines now incorporate AI in their search function. 

Q: Should I use ChatGPT as a research tool?
A: A June 2025 study published in arXiv yielded extremely concerning results about the effects of long-term AI use on the brain's cognitive and analytical ability. Over time, study subjects showed significantly reduced capacity to learn, understand and recall information due to diminished activity in the brain's neural pathways. This is the first of what are sure to be many studies on this topic. Current thinking is to proceed with extreme caution, not only with everyday research but also with academic research.

Sources:

Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y.T., Situ, J., Liao, X., Beresnitzky, A. V., Braunstein, I. & Maes, P. (2025). Your brain on ChatGPT: accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task. arXiv. 

Russell, S.J. & Norvig, P. (2021). Artificial intelligence: A modern approach (4th ed.). Hoboken: Pearson. 

Wong, A. (2025) The entire Internet is reverting to beta. The Atlantic.

AI in Action: Videos to Kickstart Conversation

Everyone is Cheating (Even the Professors) - This video covers AI-assisted cheating (like with ChatGPT, Claude, etc.), the value of education (and Caplan's signaling theory), and the reason why professors and researchers commit fraud.
Can You Think Without It? Exploring AI Dependence When ChatGPT went down, many felt stuck—but the real issue is that our growing dependence on AI is starting to replace our own critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
ChatGPT Really is Rotting Your Brain-MIT Study Finds🧠 MIT’s Latest Research Uncovers a Shocking Truth About ChatGPT What happens when we let AI do the thinking for us?
ChatGPT Isn’t Your Therapist With the rise of AI, many people are turning to chatbots like ChatGPT for mental health advice they would normally seek from professionals — but what are the dangers of that?
Get-Rich-Quick with AI? Think Again. Can ChatGPT make me easy money?

AI: Harmless or Harmful? AI won't kill us all — but that doesn't make it trustworthy. But is it dangerous?

Do You Need a Degree, or Just Skills? As artificial intelligence reshapes how students learn and perform, Smerconish explores whether traditional college degrees still hold value, or if trade schools are the smarter move in today’s economy.

If AI Does the Work, What’s College For? What’s the point of college if no one’s actually doing the work? It’s not a rhetorical question. In the age of AI, it's incredibly easy for students to offload their assignments. AI tools can write essays, make study guides, and even complete whole assignments. So what is the point of higher education?
AI, Deepfakes, and Cyber Threats: What You Need to Know Get a rare glimpse into the Dark Side of AI and learn how to defend agains AI risks. More than 90% of cyberattacks are caused by human error and hackers use AI & Deepfakes to attack us. This is not just an opinion but the reality of today's society.

 

Protecting Small Artists in an AI World This video shows the impact of AI on small artists and creatives through scamming and misinformation.
What happened to copyright? During a Senate Judiciary Hearing on Wednesday, Author David Baldacci, whose books were pirated and then used by technology companies to train their artificial intelligence models, spoke about the problem of piracy.
Do we need teachers anymore if we have AI? A school in Texas is revolutionizing the way students learn by going all-in on artificial intelligence. Its leaders are using the technology to educate students without the help of a traditional teacher.
What's the harm in AI boyfriends? Tiktok and other platforms are showing people engaged in "romantic relationships" with AI bots. Are these toxic? Note: Video contains mature language.
Can I Copyright It Even if ChatGPT Wrote It? Lawyer Muller explains the most recent developments related to copyrighting books produced with AI in the US, and address everything authors need to know about protecting themselves and their work.
How AI is Fueling Body Image Issues Mental Health Expert Calissa Ngozi breaks down how AI is fueling body image struggles, self-esteem issues, and even mental health concerns like anxiety and depression.
What if AI is Making Your Life Worse? AI tools can look like promising solutions to pressing problems and yet sometimes only end up making those problems worse.
TikTok Shop Scams Using AI - A brief look at scams that are viral on TikTok.
Are Real People on Social Media Anymore?  After two decades of sharing more online, it looks like more people are deciding to share less. New polling shows that nearly a third of all social media users post less than they did a year ago. That trend is especially true for adults in Gen Z.
AI Is Actually Destroying Beauty... Why AI beauty campaigns are reshaping beauty standards and what are the dangers of this trend to young women and plastic surgery culture.