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One college is forcing all of its students to become ‘bilingual' in AI-speak
At a time when many colleges are looking to prevent students from cheating using artificial intelligence, one college has taken a different route — promising that its students will soon become 'bilingual' in AI.
The Ohio State University announced last week that all of its students, regardless of major, will be using AI starting this upcoming fall semester.
'Through AI Fluency, Ohio State students will be 'bilingual' – fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area,' Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda said.
Ohio State's AI Fluency Initiative will embed AI education into each undergraduate program, teaching students how to use AI in ways that are applicable to their field of study.
The program will come into play for freshmen students starting this fall, ensuring all graduates starting with the class of 2029 are 'fluent in AI and how it can be responsibly applied to advance their field,' the college said.
'Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we live, work, teach and learn. In the not-so-distant future, every job, in every industry, is going to be impacted in some way by AI,' said Ohio State President Walter 'Ted' Carter Jr. 'Ohio State has an opportunity and responsibility to prepare students to not just keep up, but lead in this workforce of the future.
The new initiative comes as many students have come to rely on AI for the answers to their homework or to write their papers.
The Pew Research Center found 26 percent of teenagers used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, twice as many as in 2023, and a number that will likely only increase.
While many students have embraced using generative AI to cut corners, many have also come to rely on it to formulate answers or long-form essays, much to the ire of professors.
A survey of college students from January 2023, just two months after ChatGPT first launched, found that some 90 percent had already used it on assignments, New York Magazine reported.
Ohio State said the new initiative does not mean students can use generative AI to pass off assignments as their own, though it was not immediately clear how the university planned to prevent plagiarism.
