Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a part of everyday life, from classrooms to corporate offices.
But the more people turn to it iteducators and workplace experts say a new problem is emerging: people are hiding their use and in turn not getting the AI education they need.
Okanagan College Professor David Williams “Am I worried about cognitive load? I’d say that’s my number one concern with AI.”
Cohan Sassaman
Researchers call it AI’s faultThe feeling that using AI is somehow cheating, even when it is allowed or encouraged. This stigma, they say, is preventing the conversations needed to teach people how to use technology safely and responsibly.
The concern is not just about ethics. For educators, it’s also about cognitive offloading, relying on AI to think instead of exercising your brain.
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“Am I worried about cognitive download? I would say that’s my number one concern with AI,” said educator David Williams.
He warns that students who let AI do their thinking risk undermining their learning.
“Bypassing your thinking like this doesn’t support learning in any way,” Williams said.
In the workplace, new research from Employment Hero found that 43 per cent of Canadian workers feel guilty using AI, 39 per cent believe it feels like cheating and 34 per cent admit to hiding their use of AI from their employer.
Employment Hero Canada managing director Chris Pinkerton says the secrecy creates new challenges.
“Part of AI education is not just learning how the tool works, but also starting to open a dialogue.” Pinkerton said
Some educators say they have moved away from controlling the use of artificial intelligence and teaching students how to use it responsibly before they enter the workforce.
Experts say AI is not going away. Their warning is that if schools and workplaces don’t normalize conversations about the responsible use of AI now, people may never get the training they need to use the technology safely and may become increasingly dependent on it.
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