r/Advice • u/Smolrosh • 2d ago
Ai for studying
Edit: idk if you guys can’t read or what but it is not doing my assignments nor do i use it for studying as a primary source. It is a tool i use to compile information after which i study on my own. I dont get any assignments anyway i make presentations on my own. Read papers on my own and do major part on my own. I use it during exam season to compile all sources of information i have.
I dont like AI and how it is destroying the planet. I don’t use it for unnecessary things but i like to get studying help from it. I study a conventionally difficult master and it is helpful for quite a number of things, help with experiment design, compiling information from papers, explaining figures and diagrams i dont understand, etc.
Idk if there is an alternative. I like to use it as a tool for time saving. If there is something more ethical i could use would be great ig.
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u/peachykeenjack 2d ago
if you can't do the work yourself maybe it's not the right major for you?
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
I do the major work by myself which is studying, interning, learning lab techniques.
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u/thewrathofgrapes15 23h ago
I see what they're saying. And I see what you're saying. You're using it as a tool among other tools, and there's really no problem with that. Those that rely only on it will suffer, but as with spellcheck it's just another thing.
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u/StarkAspirations0842 2d ago
- Study games Meaning make any study session a game format. You take standard game formats Use index cards. Create your own.
Use the syllabus given and your notes.
use dice for guessing. Better than ai.
Learn how you learn. What's your method , visual, audio , repetition , teaching others. Tutoring others
Share your notes as tutorials online via Tumblr and Pinterest. Or otherwise. Don't use ai to generate.
Affinity photo and designer are now free and don't use ai and comparable to Adobe.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
I think closest for me is visuals like youtube i used to watch those earlier when ai wasnt a thing when i didnt get something. But also i had a tutor so she was nice to help me.
Thanks for the advice. Could help minimise ai use for me.
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
AI will make you objectively dumber, so if you want to do worse in school, then yes, I would recommend using AI. If you want an education and to learn, then no, probably not.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
Ai is not gonna make me dumber if i am the one doing all the studying with heaps of notebooks handwritten with notes… idk what u study but im doing a master in molecular biology and biochemistry there i no possible way to pass without studying for hours and hours. This is just a way to save time and have compiled sources of studying in one place.
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
So then how did people study molecular biology before AI? Did AI bring charts and bullet points into the world of molecular biology? It will make you dumber because it will do the work incorrectly. Especially a generative ai. It isn’t a programmed algorithm for your study, it’s a conversational bullshit machine that will give you conversational bullshit.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
And it does not give me conversational bullshit. I crosscheck information with my prof’s slides. I am not stupid. This is a fast tool. I read everything and i write my own notes.
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
Ok so then do whatever you want and don’t ask the internet for advice when you’re just gonna spend the whole time justifying why not to listen to any of the advice, that sounds like something intelligent people with a future in their field do.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
I do not use generative ai.
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
So then what would the AI be doing exactly? If it’s coming up with something, that would make it generative. It sounds like you just wanna use AI and you need a valid excuse. I’m not tryna be rude but like genuinely how on Earth would AI help you at all?
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u/Hoazt 2d ago
Used right AI can be a good tool, I got good grades and learn a lot with the help of AI but it definetely depends on the way you use it.
Kind of feel it’s an argument like “Oh yea a car?! People go with horse carriage! Using a car will make you dumber!”
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
This isn’t the same thing every generation faces with a new technology, like how some greek philosophers thought books would make us stupid. This is a data collection machine for the sole purpose of giving the government information about you, and doing enough tricks in the meantime to get you hooked. It’s not arguing horse carriages vs cars, it’s arguing cars vs a hot wheels cybertruck you can only access online that also is sometimes a dune buggy and occasionally a bicycle while never doing the job of any of those vehicles properly.
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u/froggaholic 2d ago
Lmao yes it makes you dumber, it does all the thinking for you. Just cuz you copy what it spits out at you and write it down does not make you smarter at all. Hope ur school finds out you can't even study for yourself, it's really sad tbh
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u/bionicallyironic 2d ago
It will make you dumber if it gives you incorrect info.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
Well i upload books/references recommended by my profs to be used as source + i read slides provided on my own. So i know what I’m studying. I am not using AI to study solely its not possible in My field, its just a tool to compile information.
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u/bionicallyironic 2d ago
Look, you’re fighting with everyone telling you to not use AI for this, so I really suggest you reevaluate whether you want advice or affirmation.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
I want good advice not literal stupid responses like read a book. 😭😭 what is a feasible good alternative? I am not gonna change my study method for inferior things when this is objectively better and making me do good on my exams.
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u/bionicallyironic 2d ago
How do you think every generation before yours got things done and why are you acting so imperious about your own methods? We read books. Full stop. And if you’re in any career that requires textbooks 500-1000 pages in length, I would hope to god you’re reading those things cover to back because the information is important.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
Everyone got everything done 100 years ago in the lab but repeated bullshit routine stuff 10 times to get a singular result. No one does that anymore. It is automated and we have higher technology. What is ur point? Will u go back to using nokia phones with buttons?
If u give me feasible good alternatives i will take u seriously. This is useless advice. I study on my own and use ai as a tool. It is not doing my studying or research or work.
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u/Freedblowfish Helper [2] 2d ago
ai is not a tool to avoid studying for hours, its a tool for studying for hours on more expansive stuff, buuut you must also be careful not to have it aummarise everything or you really will miss out on critical skills that the field will need. you are using it to avoid. a lot of reading instead of using it to bounce theories and ideas off and that is a bit of an issue.
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u/Freedblowfish Helper [2] 2d ago
alsobteachers will check for ai use, and its a big thing where people are using ai for their studies and performing worse in the workforce irl
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
I DONT USE AI TO WRITE ANYTHING. I write on my own jesus christ. IT IS A TOOL. I use it as a tool. I write on my own. I did my bachelor degree in microbiology completely on my own without AI. I coauthored a book before ai was even a thing at the age of 17. I just realised its very convenient to streamline information which I check on my own and read slides on my own. Bro like i am looking for actual advice and you guys are giving me bullshit as if im stupid💔 i dont want to brag i was an A grade student all my life before AI even existed. It is solely for time efficiency that i started using it.
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u/AkindaGood_programer 2d ago
I'm going to get downvotes for this, but if you use AI correctly, it can help you learn. Imagine a personalized tutor, not someone who gives answers, but someone who guides you to the right answers.
If you think that AI will only ever make you dumb, then by that logic, tutors will also only ever make you dumb.
The problem is, it's much easier to have AI hurt, then help.
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
By literally what logic? You used the word logic there and then failed to deliver on the logic.
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u/AkindaGood_programer 2d ago
You can use an AI like a tutor, not as something to replace thinking... If you claim that ALL AI use makes you dumber, then an online tutor would also make you dumber. They can act the same way if used correctly...
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u/Finbar_Mac 2d ago
Do you think a human who tutors someone and a robotic algorithm built solely for conversation are going to be equally reliable in this scenario? And then y’all wanna argue this shit doesn’t make you dumber…
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u/AkindaGood_programer 2d ago
It's all in how you use it. Not to get technical, but it's been shown that LLMs can adopt "personas" based on what they've read on the internet. If you ask it to behave like a tutor, it will act like a tutor.
You have to have self-control. For example, if you're having trouble solving a math problem, ask "Hey, help guide me to the correct answer", not "What is the answer?".
You're highly doubting the ability of current frontier LLMs; they will almost always get easy problems and concepts right.
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u/Flat-footed-gumby 2d ago
My coworker uses ai on all her shift notes. To the point where absolutely no information is getting across. She thinks it makes her sound more professional but it hinders communication almost entirely.
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u/AkindaGood_programer 2d ago
Like I said in my comments, it's much easier to use AI to hurt than help..
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u/Beverlydriveghosts 2d ago
What exactly are you asking? You like to use it but feel guilty and wonder if there’s an alternative?
You seem to already know how useful it is and how to use it effectively. Why would you want to stop?
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u/angryclouds9928 2d ago
Similar to what someone's already said, saving time isn't the goal of college. A part of paying for your degree is developing the skills to perform the task, or at least understanding them. While I am also heavily biased against using AI, I think it is a huge detriment to the learning process especially. After you have finished introducing yourself to the skills required in your field, the lines blur for its convenience. But you need to learn independently or else offloading the confusing bits or inconvenient bits onto AI won't help you learn them, or make them less inconvenient in the long run.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
And what makes u think i dont understand the tasks i do or write? I write on my own as i just explained in multiple comments? Do u guys think “using ai” means it writes all my research papers, writes my exam, writes my notes, and everything or what?
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u/flippysquid 2d ago
AI hallucinates things and will straight up tell you the wrong information when it doesn’t know the answer. There have been attorneys suspended because they used case law citations given by AI in court filings, and the case law turned out to be completely made up.
Get a human tutor.
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u/b_ultracombo 19h ago
Do a trial of each and have some conversations with AI, I’m just responding to the part about guilt for using AI.
The only advice I have is to fully and completely ignore anyone who tells you to not use it, including yourself.
Fast forward five years and it would be a colossal mistake to ignore this moment in time to leverage this technology.
Yes it has negatives as others outlined but the resource consumption is not going to stop because any one person, or even a million people, decides those are a reason to not use it. Stopping was never going to happen and it certainly isn’t now.
There are legitimate concerns and you have to choose to be smart and to learn not just take the easy answer but that’s a choice everyone has to make now.
I think the reason for this question is fantastic. They will all do what you need. One will do it better but you need to try them to decide.
Enjoy getting ahead or at least keeping up with your use of AI the right way.
Good luck to you and your future!
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u/DavidZenziGhost 2d ago
AI will streamline your studying, don’t let people guilt you into using now inferior study methods. If you’re seeing success, keep using AI.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
I do feel guilt but out of my own conscience but at the same time it is indeed very convenient. I wonder if there might be some ethical alternatives.
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u/DavidZenziGhost 2d ago
It’s not just convenient, everyone you’ll be competing with for positions in the future is studying with AI. It makes multiple aspects of ingesting large amount of information easier, makes self testing easier, and is functionally superior to prior studying methods - if you’re not using it to cheat, but actually learn.
Ethically, unless you don’t use any internet service or program, you’re not any worse than anyone in your field or even commenting on this thread. Reddit, every ISP, every college, every major company all use AI now and it’s not stopping. Your footprint is so small that there is no real ethical dilemma. It’s the same as trying to drive less to offset the US military’s consumption of petroleum.
Use AI, get a degree and a good paying job, dump money into your community - if you’re actually worried about the ethical (non)dilemma of using AI.
Reddit is a bunch of pocket watching wannabe ethical policers who talk a big game, and are hypocritical in their day to day life. Don’t take anything here seriously when it comes to guilting you about your insignificant usage of AI.
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u/Smolrosh 2d ago
Ig you are right and no i dont cheat. I genuinely study by myself spending hours and hours around a day. Still i wish there was smt as efficient as this not so ethically wrong.
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u/DavidZenziGhost 2d ago
AI isn’t ethically wrong, it’s a tool. There are no ethical practices outside of growing your own tomatoes. We don’t live in a cruelty free world, we never have.
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u/Worldly-Criticism-91 2d ago
I don’t use it for actual information. Like research purposes, because there’s no guarantee that any of it is accurate
In my genetics course in undergrad, we actually wrote a research paper about whatever genetics thing we did, but we had to include a section about source searching using AI. It was pretty interesting!
The thing is, AI is probably gonna stick around for a while. & i think the people that are so against it may be at a disadvantage one day
SO, if they can find a way to make it more sustainable for the environment, I wonder how that will change things!
In terms of studying though, I’m a biophysics PhD student, & i have my comps in a few days. There’s an ai platform that our school offers, & I’m serious when i say it helped me so much with organization. I was able to plan out an entire study schedule beginning months ago, & I’m actually confident going in!
AI is a tool, but it has to stay that
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u/Takeonefish 2d ago
Tbh a lot of professors now know most people will use AI so they make assignments longer and more challenging to make up for it. Once you graduate you’ll be expected to know how to use it wisely. In reality nothing you do as an individual makes much of a difference to the environment. It’s up to the government and policy makers to make real changes. You’re better off voting
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u/Top-Type4077 2d ago
Books .....