Mir Hasnain Iqbal
“Why we must teach students to use artificial intelligence without becoming dependent on it.”
Artificial Intelligence has entered almost every part of our lives. Students use it for their studies, teachers explore it for classroom work, and professionals rely on it to save time and handle difficult tasks. What once seemed like something from the distant future is now available on an ordinary mobile phone. A question that would earlier require searching through several books can now be answered in seconds. This is certainly a remarkable development. But are we thinking enough about what we might lose while gaining so much? A recent report in The Hindu carried an important message for graduates: they should not become slaves of technology, and their skills must always be guided by ethics. This is something worth thinking about, particularly at a time when technical ability is often given more importance than character, judgment and social responsibility.AI is a useful tool, perhaps one of the most powerful tools developed in recent times. But there is a difference between using a tool and allowing it to control our habits. We can ask it to explain a difficult subject, help us organise our thoughts or point us towards useful information. The problem begins when we stop making an effort ourselves.
AI is a good servant, but a bad master. It should assist our thinking, not take its place. The matter deserves particular attention in our schools and colleges. A student can now get an essay written, an assignment completed or a difficult question answered without opening a textbook. At first glance, this may look like progress. But what happens when the student is asked to explain the same answer in the classroom? Can he or she defend an argument, identify an error or offer an independent opinion? Completing an assignment is not the same as learning. There is nothing wrong with a student using AI to understand a difficult chapter or find a simpler explanation of a scientific concept. In fact, this is a sensible way of using available resources. But copying whatever appears on the screen and presenting it as one’s own work defeats the very purpose of education. Students must put their minds to work. They need to read, write, make mistakes and learn from them. These are not outdated habits; they are the foundation of genuine learning.
I believe this is where our education system needs to give serious thought. We cannot keep students away from AI, nor would that be a sensible approach. Instead, they should be taught how to use it properly. They must know how to frame questions, check the information they receive, compare it with reliable sources and recognise when an answer is misleading. More importantly, they should not lose the habit of reading books, discussing ideas and forming their own conclusions. The concern is not limited to students. We see the same dependence developing in professional life. A doctor may use AI to examine medical information, but understanding a patient’s condition and taking responsibility for treatment remain essential.
“AI should be used in education as an empowering tool to enhance learning, critical thinking, and exploration—never as a substitute for independent thought or active inquiry.”
An engineer may rely on advanced software, but a mistake in judgement can put human lives at risk. Technology can assist professionals, but it cannot take away their responsibility. There is another side to this discussion that deserves attention: ethics. AI can produce convincing information, but convincing does not always mean correct. It can also be misused to spread false news, create misleading material and influence people’s opinions. Those who use it must understand that the responsibility for what they produce or share does not disappear simply because a machine helped them create it. For a place like Kashmir, the possibilities are considerable.
AI can help students access educational material, assist researchers in studying changing weather patterns and support work related to floods, agriculture, horticulture and environmental protection. Our young people should learn to use these opportunities. But they should also understand that technology alone cannot solve every problem. It takes knowledge of the ground situation, experience and sound judgment to turn information into useful action. Teachers have an important part to play in this changing situation. Their responsibility is no longer confined to delivering lessons from textbooks. They must help students develop the ability to question, analyse and think independently. A machine may provide an answer, but a teacher can ask a student why that answer should be believed. That difference matters.
The classroom should remain a place where ideas are discussed and understanding is tested, not simply a place where ready-made information is collected. We should also be careful not to mistake speed for intelligence. Getting an answer in five seconds does not necessarily mean that we understand it. Writing a page with the help of AI does not automatically make us better writers. Real learning takes effort, and there are no shortcuts to developing judgement, creativity and wisdom.
Our schools and universities must therefore prepare students for a world in which AI will be part of everyday life. They should teach them to use it effectively, responsibly and confidently, without allowing it to take over their thinking. Students must continue to read, question, write and explore on their own. AI should make learning easier and wider, not turn learners into passive receivers of information. We must teach our students to use AI, but never to depend on it for everything. Let them take its help to learn faster, think deeper and explore further, but let their own minds remain active. The purpose of education is not to produce a generation that can operate intelligent machines, but one that is intelligent enough to use them wisely. AI must remain a good servant, never a master.
(The author is Principal, Guru Gobind Singh College of Management and Technology, Gidderbaha, Punjab. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
