Engaging Students in Open Dialogue about Use of AI Tools in Economics Courses

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is a scary prospect for many of us in college teaching roles. But these tools are here to stay. After my own initial resistance to AI tools in the classroom, I decided to engage each of my classes in conversation about them. In this commentary, I describe my experience with engaging my undergraduate classes in open dialogue about the use of AI and developing a collective agreement about how AI tools can be used in the classroom. While some faculty may not be ready to use AI tools themselves for assignments and classroom activities, facilitating conversations with students about these tools is an easy and low-cost way to explore the use of AI tools in the classroom and develop reasonable, fair, and clear policies for classroom use. Working collaboratively with our students to determine the best use of AI, as these tools evolve, is vital to ensuring these tools enhance rather than detract from students’ educational experience, as well as contribute to a culture of trust and respect that students value."