Students Research AI’s Promise and Peril

Figueroa and Charoentra are working with Professor Vianney Yaspik to study students' attitudes toward AI and their use of it in both US and Mexican schools, from kindergarten through college.

Comparing countries could reveal cultural differences with AI literacy and highlight issues with Spanish-language AI. "A lot of large language models have been trained primarily in English, especially Western dialects," said Figueroa, a computer science major and DCS minor. "That's why we want to involve a school in Mexico."

Through surveys and in-person observation, the team is assessing AI knowledge, attitudes, and students' sense of moral obligation to use or avoid the tools. They're also examining equity: Are students on an equal playing field with AI access and familiarity? If not, how should teachers respond?

Charoentra, a DCS and economics major, is motivated by AI's potentially profound effects on how young people learn to read, write, and do math. "We need more research on how these technologies will change classroom dynamics-and how to integrate AI without risking skills atrophying or losing the joy of learning in collaborative classrooms," he said.

Figueroa hopes their findings will be useful to schools. "Ideally, our results will help institutions write their codes of conduct for student use of AI," she said.

With any new technology, Figueroa added, society must watch for disparities, just as laptops and broadband internet connection once conferred advantages to students with access. "I feel good doing my part to investigate where things stand for students. It's rarely a good idea for everyone to jump into new technology all at once."

Charoentra said that his research team-with their unique backgrounds in computer science, economics, and data science-brings well-rounded expertise to their endeavor. "This is where the liberal arts vision comes to life," he said. "Research is richer when it's interdisciplinary and applicable across fields."

Advisor: Vianney Gomezgil Yaspik, assistant professor of digital and computational studies