There is a fundamental shift occurring in our universities that demands immediate attention. While discussions often focus on the efficiency of AI, we are overlooking a deeper crisis: the quiet erosion of intellectual engagement among students.
As a university student, I observe a troubling reality. The traditional academic process, the difficult work of researching, reading and synthesising complex information is being bypassed. In libraries and study groups, the focus has shifted from critical inquiry to prompt engineering. Students are not merely using AI as a tool; they are allowing it to replace the cognitive struggle that is essential for genuine learning.
However, this is not solely a student failure; it is a systemic one. The rise of AI has ruthlessly exposed the flaws in our outdated educational model. For decades, our system has prioritised rote memorisation and standardised output over critical analysis. If a chatbot can produce a passing assignment in seconds, it proves that our assessments were never testing higher-order thinking. They were testing data retrieval, a skill that is now automated.
This issue requires more than just a classroom rule change; it demands a comprehensive structural revision by our government and university administrations. While I personally believe that shifting toward viva voce and handwritten, in-class analysis would immediately help verify human understanding, these are merely stopgaps. The ultimate responsibility lies with the authorities to design a “revised education structure” that integrates technology without surrendering to it. We need a policy framework that values the process of thinking over the final product.
If the authorities do not act to modernise our curriculum, we risk graduating a generation of professionals who possess credentials but lack the capability to think independently. We must ensure that a degree represents a trained mind, not just a skillful use of software.
Muratab Ali
Lahore
