Probably using AI. You might think that a 10:10 a.m. seminar with strict AI policies would be okay. You might be able to escape with that. Maybe you have completed these Canvas modules regarding academic integrity after submitting one or more em dashes, but there is nothing holding you back. You are just like everyone else. Although the use of AI has become commonplace, most people are still not using it to its full potential.
To their detriment, many students still use AI as an academic crutch. We interviewed Professor Delchamps of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering about this topic. Regarding the use of AI, I strongly believe that “you can study however you want.” His AI usage policy is lenient. Because, “When it comes to exam situations, if you can do it, you’ve done it.” Professor Delchamp’s philosophy should become more widespread. Students should be able to use AI to improve their exam skills and upgrade their education. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of AI products readily available. Some are free, some are paid, and some are completely bullish. AI has the potential to refine everyone’s research in all areas of research. I want to talk about not only the grammar of discussion posts, but also how you can use it to improve yourself.
Start by choosing an AI tool or two. Choose one of the big three: ChatGPT, Claude (my
personal choice), or co-pilot. The third tool you’ll use will probably have the same functionality, so those are all you need. The free model is sufficient for school assignments.
Level 1 of successfully leveraging AI is agile engineering. Do you say “solve it” or “write it down”?
Congratulations on your screenshot. You’re using AI. Unfortunately, it takes more than that to pass an exam or earn an Ivy League degree. Prompts should be detailed. Guide the AI and tell it what you need, whether it’s a subject matter expert, an overview writing workshop, a debate partner, or a tutor-style walkthrough of organic chemistry.
Level 2 uses context. I prefer Claude for most AI help. Because you can set up a project and outline what needs to be done in a chat. PDF files of lecture slides, textbook chapters, past question papers with answers, citation guides, and anything else that may be relevant are available. Make sure you can highlight text in the PDF. If the PDF is flattened, the AI will not perform the task of extracting text in most large files. Now you can open a new chat within your project as you work with your class. Answers are given in the desired format, referencing appropriate information, and explaining concepts in the professor’s words.
Level 3 is a little more special. Model Context Protocol is a standard developed last year by Anthropic, the company that designed Claude. To put the jargon to shame, this is what ties you to an AI desktop app for the rest of your life. You can link profiles from LinkedIn, Instagram, Canvas, G-Suite, Robinhood, and countless other services. Prompts now include scheduling cold emails to recruiters, reorganizing document folders, prioritizing deferred assignments based on syllabus delay policies, and more. If you are a CS major or are tech savvy enough, you can set this up manually. But if you choose peace, there’s a great thing called YouTube. There you will find lots of new videos on the topics I mentioned.
You may already be doing all of these things, but even if you are, thank you for reading this far. You may have attended a high school that didn’t require much AI for academics. I hope I’ve given you some tips to help you get through your next week of hell. There are a few very important honorable mentions. ChatGPT’s prompts for grammar help via cold emails or super-specific Google searches are the opposite of my previous writing, but they’re extremely useful. If you’re bored at the library, play some episodic games on ChatGPT. If you think that’s unrealistic, let me tell you all about the fall outs in your freshman friend group. Check if you were right. Probably not, but you can only prompt Chat to validate your side if you’re not ready to hear it. We use AI to increase productivity. We forget what a good distraction it is.
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Zak Kheder ’26 is an opinion columnist studying electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering. renaissance man Explores issues of intellectualism and what it means to be a student in the age of information and technology. He can be reached at zkheder@cornellsun.com.
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