Campus Life and AI
Campus Life and AI
Life with artificial intelligence has been nothing short of overwhelming these last few years. Every time there’s a breakthrough in AI, another wave of questions follows right behind: What counts as cheating? Is this copyright infringement? What’s being done to protect my personal data? These concerns are everywhere, and they’re absolutely valid—but let’s not ignore the obvious: AI is ridiculously cool!
Sometimes, living with AI on campus feels like being caught between worlds. On one side, there’s the worry: Am I crossing a line if I use this AI tool for an essay? Could I fail for something that wasn’t clear in the syllabus? On the other, it’s hard not to get swept up in curiosity about what these tools could help us achieve. Last year, it felt like most of us were stuck in limbo—juggling a packed college schedule, a job, and the digital minefield of “what’s allowed.” Many students tiptoed around AI, unsure if experimenting would pay off or blow up in their face. It didn’t help that guidance from professors was often as confused as we were.
But this year, something genuinely new has arrived—a breath of fresh, AI-powered air in the classroom. Instead of getting scolded for being curious about AI, or left to wander alone, we’ve been handed what feels like a set of training wheels. Finally, we can explore without fear. Now, our department is offering a brand new class dedicated to working with AI. We’re talking prompt-writing, generating content, mapping out real workflows, and (most importantly) learning where AI shines and where it’s not quite ready for primetime.
For the first time, it feels like we’re being set up to succeed, not just warned about what might go wrong. Instead of the “us vs. them” mentality—students on one side, faculty on the other, and AI somewhere in the fog—it’s become clear that AI and campus life don’t have to be adversaries. They can work together, and when they do, the results are genuinely exciting.
We’re not just talking about getting better grades with less stress, although that doesn’t hurt! Integrating AI into our daily academic lives is teaching us to become more efficient, more curious, and, ultimately, more adaptable. We’re building skills that translate directly into the industry we’re studying—an industry that’s changing so fast, if you don’t learn to optimize AI, you risk getting left behind.
Looking back, it’s wild to think how much anxiety surrounded the topic just a year ago. Today, we’re not only embracing AI—we’re figuring out how to use it responsibly, creatively, and confidently. Life with AI doesn’t have to be about fear or confusion; it can be about partnership and possibility. For students on any campus, having a supportive, experimental approach to AI education isn’t just “nice to have”—it’s essential for the world we’re all heading into.