by Gerrit Bester
The Faculty of Arts and Design is leading the conversation on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academia on the home front, most recently during a discussion titled AI – Where are we and where are we going? on 4 August, which featured insights from staff across all five Arts disciplines.
Prof Chats Devroop, Research Professor at the Faculty, who drives these discussions, opened the floor by posing questions about how staff perceive their students' use of AI and how each discipline has introduced it to students.
Prof Chats Devroop, Research Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Design
The responses indicated that staff definitely observe evidence of AI usage in student submissions (assignments etc.), often noticing similarities, but they expressed challenges with how to encourage responsible (ethical) use and how to determine a student's own contribution and originality.
Staff acknowledge that AI is a wave they cannot hold back, despite feeling "at a loss" about maintaining authenticity and originality – the bedrock of artistic endeavours.
One staff member mentioned that AI is an excellent “thinking tool” and has actually enabled students to expand on their ideas.
There was consensus that undergraduate students seem to use it as a tool to complete tasks quickly.
When asked whether any modules teach students how AI should be used, responses varied from "I am not engaging with it as part of my own teaching" to "I use it extensively; it is revolutionising music composition, recording and mixing."
Some staff have started teaching students how to interrogate AI, noting that attempts to ban its use, as done at some universities, are futile.
"We should negotiate our space around it," said Prof Devroop.
The role of the language editor also came into focus, with concerns that some students submit AI-generated work without engaging critically, relying on AI's output without applying their own expertise. "There is no critical eye and the language editor ends up only checking what should have been verified by the student."
An important issue raised was copyright, especially when students and staff upload assignments or research papers to AI platforms – some of which consume and reproduce that content as if it's their own.
Prof Devroop pointed out that some AI sources, mostly paid services, do not do this.
Participants agreed that the future should involve more discussion, preferably in the form of a seminar, focusing on practical uses of AI rather than purely philosophical debates.
It was also stressed that students need to be trained to use AI ethically, though this may be particularly challenging with creative ideas, especially in the arts.
Furthermore, it was noted that staff who are proficient in AI can better teach students how to use it effectively and identify when it is being misused.
There was broad agreement from the discussants that AI is power when used skillfully but can be dangerous in untrained hands.