By Tripp Henderson | Staff Writer
As artificial intelligence advances, it is fundamentally changing how humans communicate. Amid these changes, the university’s communications department is emphasizing AI as a “tool” to maximize efficiency while avoiding overreliance.
Dr. Jacob S. Ford, a professor in the communications department, implemented a course called Communications and New Technology. The course provides an overview of communications research and technology, and class discussions do not shy away from some of the harder questions about AI.
“We really focus in on [AI] and talk about how communicating with AI might start to shape and alter our communication,” Ford said. “And then, as we interact with AI, how does that alter our communication with others?”
As more research comes out on AI, Ford and his students discuss those studies and how to interact with AI ethically. Ford said it is important for students to use artificial intelligence as a tool, but not to let it replace critical thinking.
Ford said that AI can be used effectively to “automate something that’s not consequential to you thinking deeply or processing or thinking critically about the topic that you’re studying.”
Dr. Ashley K. Barrett from the communications department said that AI can be used in “a beneficial way and ethical way, or can be a tool that we use more in a non-virtuous way,” but that Baylor has the ability to “ figure out what that means and how that manifests at a Christian-based university.”
Barrett said AI is helpful in many ways, like fixing grammar and punctuation in emails, but human involvement is still important to preserve communication.
“You have to be able to use AI as a co-author, but you have to remain the author of your identity,” Barrett said.
Barrett said that AI is sometimes used to create “imagined conversations.” These are chats with AI that simulate a social interaction to prepare the individual for the real conversation.
While Barrett recognizes that these chats can help you express yourself and build confidence, she said an AI agent’s predicted conversation may not translate to reality because it does not understand the “storied history” of your relationships and “only has the context that you give it.”
Additionally, Ford is concerned that students will replace human interaction with AI companionship. A new study by Common Sense Media shows that three in four students have used AI companions, and research by the Center for Democracy and Technology found that 42% have used AI for friendship and 19% for romantic relationships.
“I’m just concerned that it’s going to push students away from each other,” Ford said. “They feel like they have a friend online that just talks to them all the time, that tells them what they want to hear and so they don’t need social interaction as much.”
Ford also warned about the danger of relying on artificial intelligence and likened it to the addictive nature of social media.
“Put some barriers on the [AI] applications you’re using and how much time is on them,” Ford said. “Be aware that they might be designed in a way to keep you on there.”
Barrett echoed similar concerns about AI dependence
“If we over-rely on something, then we’ll face repercussions of that down the road, and we’ll lose what makes us human and connecting with others,” she said.
As AI becomes more prevalent in academia, Barrett emphasizes using it alongside good ethics.
“Everyone’s going to eventually build proficiencies in AI … and that necessitates that we use it morally, we use it ethically, we use it virtuously,” Barrett said.
