The liveliness and festivities of the Lunar New Year Festival came to a close. Just yards away in a quiet corner of the 1600 building, a group of students gathered for a different event.
Before it began, the room was subdued. Students spoke quietly, sitting at tables while organizers set up sheets of paper. Though the event seemed inconspicuous, it served an important purpose. Students were going to discuss their unfiltered thoughts on artificial intelligence, and Las Positas planned to use the information gathered to craft its policy regarding AI.
The event was a collaboration between Ourmedia and LPC to gather data about how AI is showing up in LPC students’ lives. Ourmedia is a nonprofit organization that aims to gather insight from Gen Z and learn how to support them in this new age of AI.
“I started thinking about this stuff when I was working at Ourmedia, but I was still a student,” said Tara Mandrekar, associate director of Ourmedia.
“I think initially we realized there’s just not a good way for these institutions to understand how to support their students,” Mandrekar said. “So we were thinking, ‘How can we really bring the voice of the students to the center of this conversation?’”
The initial idea was to create a student discussion that highlights students’s thoughts and feelings. It could ensure their voices are included in important decisions about policies that directly affect them.
“We got connected with the chancellor of this community college district,” Mandrekar said. “He basically said, ‘That’s exactly what we’ve been trying to figure out how to do.’”
Students began by breaking into small groups to talk about how AI shows up in their daily lives. They identified its presence in school, personal life, social media and art. After brainstorming, students came up with examples of how AI is used in academia, along with its advantages and drawbacks.
Many agreed that while AI can reduce stress and make it easier to complete difficult and repetitive tasks, overreliance on AI could weaken skills and reduce retention of knowledge. That concern becomes especially significant when students must apply those skills in the workplace.
On the flip side, many workplaces expect employees to know how to use AI tools.
“When I talk to employers, they’re like, ‘Why would I hire someone who doesn’t know how to use AI?’” Mandrekar said. “A lot of them are like, ‘Young people need to know how to use these tools so they can be more effective when they join the workforce.’”
According to Mandrekar, too many teachers completely banned AI at the start. Between school and work, she said, there is a large and unclear “gap” between knowing when to use AI, and when not to use AI.
Students largely agreed that AI is useful, but differed on the details of when to use it. Sid Mandepudi, a sophomore and cognitive science major, said everyone just needs to adapt.
“I feel like it’s important to not just straight up ban it, (because) when (has) that ever worked?” Mandepudi said.
Another student, environmental science major Rameen Ahmed, disagreed with another student on how AI should be used in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
“My personal view is that AI is useful in some aspects. I feel it’s more useful in STEM than in the arts and humanities” Ahmed said. “I know one girl I was talking to didn’t like it even in STEM, because she thought that it took away the opportunity for you to collaborate with other people.”
Ahmed also said the pressure to earn strong grades can push students toward AI use. “It’s hard because if you have a bad professor then it’s much easier to fall back on AI,” she said.
One concern nearly everyone shared was the fear of being “replaced” by AI. Mandrekar asked various questions about students’s concerns regarding AI. When asked who was scared of being replaced, nearly every student raised their hand.
“I think that it should be restricted more than it is right now,” Ahmed said. “It really depends on the field of study.”
Most participants agreed with a sentiment Mandepudi expressed: Professors should teach students how to use AI responsibly as a tool. Some students suggested that, because AI can’t replace human innovation, professors should assign more hands-on work and projects that focus on imagination and creativity.
While the student discussion was a good start, more insight is required before LPC can develop an AI policy that fully reflects student perspectives.
Ahmed suggested a one-time event may not be the best approach. A large-scale event, such as a conference, may be more effective.
LPC is already planning to gather more student input about AI in education. During Flex day on March 19, LPC will hold a student panel for staff and faculty to hear directly from students. Organizers said the student panel is expected to be one of the focal points of the day.
Mandepudi agreed one discussion wasn’t enough, but felt reassured after learning about the upcoming student panel. “(When) they started talking about the Flex (day) that they’re gonna have, I definitely (thought) that it’s a step in the right direction.”
Whether or not LPC’s new AI policy will be effective, only time will tell. As institutions figure out how to navigate a world increasingly influenced by AI, LPC is taking steps to ensure students feel prepared despite an uncertain future.
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TOP PHOTO: While LPC students acknowledge the benefits of AI, they express fears of it weakening their skills, or replacing them in the workforce. LPC collected student input from the AI policy discussion to help develop their guidelines around the tools. (Graphic by Jasmine Doan/ Special to The Express)
Nuha Maflahi is the Campus Life Editor for The Express. Follow her on X @NuhaMaflahiLPC.
