Can students use AI ethically?

At Haverford, every classroom has its own rules for AI. In some, it is banned outright. In others, it is encouraged, and teachers use it themselves. Students are left to work out the difference on their own.

Can students use AI ethically? Apparently, yes, and avoiding it altogether is not the answer. It is a powerful tool that is becoming increasingly common. The difficult question is where should we draw the line?

Fifth Former Van Hinton, a leader of the AI Club, argues that AI’s growing role in the future makes it crucial for students to learn about new technologies.

“AI is going to be a huge part of the future, and it’s important that we learn how to use it responsibly now,” Hinton said.

His club gives students hands-on experience with tools like NotebookLM, which can organize class notes and make difficult readings easier to understand. For Hinton, the line comes down to purpose.

“Using AI ethically means using it to help you rather than having it do the work for you,” Hinton said.

Math teacher Mr. Samuel Walters puts the stakes in practical terms. If AI is replacing a student’s thinking and learning skills now, he argues, there is little reason it would not replace the student’s job later.

Fourth Former Vyom Shukla, who leads the AI Helpers club, put it in terms of school policy.

“I would draw the line at anything that would get you in trouble with the Honor Council,” Shukla said.

“Don’t use it to do your homework or write essays for anything graded, but you can have it review stuff with you.”

Alexander Peter ’29

He started his club after experimenting with AI programs over the summer. The club shows students how AI functions and how they can apply it to their academic and personal lives.

Fourth Former Alexander Peter applies the same principle, and he built an entire tool around it. Over the summer, Peter wanted to review for a test scheduled for the first week of school. He usually uploaded his notes to an AI tool, but it proved unreliable at making good quizzes and flashcards, so he decided to make his own.

“The idea just grew as I kept building,” Peter said.

“People who are going to use it to cheat are going to do it either way.”

Alexander Peter ’29

The product, Notely, takes a student’s resources and builds custom study guides and study materials from them. Peter noted it is meant for reviewing, not for taking shortcuts.

“Don’t use it to do your homework or write essays for anything graded, but you can have it review stuff with you,” Peter said.

Peter argues that no tool can fully prevent misuse. Notely and other AI programs have safeguards, but they are not perfect.

“People who are going to use it to cheat are going to do it either way,” Peter said.

The shortcut has a catch: a student who submits flawless homework and then fails the test may reveal a gap between their submitted work and actual understanding.

Part of the problem is that many students are still sorting out what is acceptable, especially when rules can differ between classes.

“I think a lot of students are still figuring out what’s appropriate and what’s not,” Hinton said.

A third club, AI Awareness, led by Fourth Formers George Garabedian and Davis Elam, combines AI activities with Mrs. Elam’s famous baking to attract students.

The students interviewed generally agree: AI is not something to ban but something to learn to use well. One club leader said not every use of AI is about cheating or taking shortcuts, and that schools should spend more time teaching students what they can do with it, not only what they shouldn’t.

Another said AI “can be used well if it is in the right hands.”

A third student put it most simply: “It’s not the tool. It’s your intentions,” he said. “The issue is how you use it.”

For these students, the line is clear. It stops where AI starts replacing the learning it was meant to support.