Education

AI and education: What parents need to teach their kids

Published

3 months ago

June 30, 2025

With his recent executive order promoting artificial intelligence in public education, President Donald Trump has given parents a gift: a chance to reflect on the role that AI should play in the lives of children.

There are countless reasons to worry about the content children have access to through their phones. In a matter of moments, children can scroll from the good to the bad to the terrible. They are being flooded with information, images and videos, and too many are becoming lost in this new digital world.

While AI tools can help organize the flood of content coming at children, AI cannot determine what we should value. Worse, because our tools are getting so good at so many tasks, we start thinking they can do all tasks. In the process, the spiritual, moral and intellectual muscles necessary for a life of character shrink from lack of use.

Building a life of character is challenging under the best of circumstances. Awash in content designed to entertain and distract, we are making this work nearly impossible for the next generation.

To foster meaning and purpose, parents need to help their children reflect on the highest good, which isn’t always readily apparent.

In “The Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle argues that humans often confuse secondary goods with the highest good. For example, many of us pursue money as if it is the highest good. But Aristotle suggests that we pursue money because it gives us access to other things: freedom from want and freedom to pursue life projects. It is figuring out these life projects, not the pursuit of money alone, that matters.

AI can help us pursue many goods, but it cannot help us determine which life projects are worth our time and energy. Rather than pushing children into one more activity, and rather than giving them access to more distractions through their phones, parents must encourage their children to reflect on purpose.

The main way to facilitate this reflection is giving our children access to the wisdom of the past. Author and educator Luke Burgis, in his article “The Three-City Problem of Modern Life,” argues that we can understand our lives at the intersection of three metaphorical cities: Athens, Jerusalem and Silicon Valley.

Young people are digital natives, literate in the languages of Silicon Valley. But they are often illiterate when it comes to the languages of Athens and Jerusalem: Children often don’t value the ideals of free inquiry (Athens) or understand the power of religious vision (Jerusalem). This is why so many of them are underwater, indiscriminately scrolling through content, often unaware of how they are being influenced.

Smartphones and algorithms manipulate children to think and feel in ways that advertisers and other special-interest groups want them to think and feel. This isn’t in the best interest of our children. When they have access to the great minds of Athens, they learn that discerning truth is a life’s work. Other people, and even AI, can assist us in this work, but living in truth is not something we can outsource.

Similarly, the wisdom of Jerusalem reminds us that we are each bearers of infinite worth. So much of what our children consume through their phones is degrading. It lowers their estimation of themselves and others. It coarsens perception, making it less likely that a child will treat themselves and others as bearers of unlimited value.

Even as we build AI literacy in schools, children need to understand how the greatest minds of the past made sense of leading a human life. This doesn’t come through AI summaries. It comes from going to the source and wrestling with the same issues humans have wrestled with for thousands of years.

Parents must facilitate this wrestling with purpose and meaning for their children. They need to give children anchors in the values of Athens and Jerusalem so that they can build the character they will need to navigate our digital world with wisdom and compassion.

The president’s executive order offers school communities an ideal opportunity to reflect on how to use AI tools effectively and efficiently to promote student learning while graduating AI-literate citizens. Parents are similarly obligated to reflect on how to best prepare our children to face our rapidly changing world. The timeless values of Athens and Jerusalem offer a much-needed life raft children can use to navigate the flood of content constantly coming at them.

Jeff Frank is a philosopher of education and chair of the education department at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

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Education

Schools Forced to Redefine What Cheating Means Amid AI Use

Published

22 minutes ago

September 16, 2025

India McCarty

Published: September 16, 2025

Getty Images 1465474705/Solskin

By India McCarty

AI makes everything easier these days, including cheating. As more students turn to the tech to help them in school, teachers have to redefine their concept of cheating on tests and papers.

“The cheating is off the charts. It’s the worst I’ve seen in my entire career,” Casey Cuny, an English teacher of 23 years, told the AP News. “Anything you send home, you have to assume is being AI’ed.”

EducationWeek reported that, in a survey conducted by Turnitin, “some AI use was detected in about 1 out of 10 assignments,” and that “at least 20 percent of each assignment [they reviewed] had evidence of AI use in the writing.”

Cuny continued, “We have to ask ourselves, what is cheating? Because I think the lines are getting blurred.”

Students agree, with many saying they turn to ChatGPT for help with brainstorming. However, it’s all too easy to take the chatbot up on its offer of simply writing the paper or doing the work for them.

“Sometimes I feel bad using ChatGPT to summarize reading, because I wonder, is this cheating? Is helping me form outlines cheating? If I write an essay in my own words and ask how to improve it, or when it starts to edit my essay, is that cheating?” college sophomore Lily Brown said.

She explained that there is a gray area when it comes to how teachers enforce AI restrictions — most syllabi say things like “Don’t use AI to write essays and to form thoughts,” but that leaves a lot of wiggle room for students who want to use the technology.

Now, schools work to put detailed rules about AI use in place, hoping to cut down on any cheating. The University of California, Berkeley emailed faculty with AI guidance that told them to “include a clear statement on their syllabus about course expectations” surrounding the tech.

The University of Kansas has also made their guidelines clear, with James Basham, a professor of special education and director of the school’s Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning calling the rules “a foundation.”

“As schools consider forming an AI task force, for example, they’ll likely have questions on how to do that, or how to conduct an audit and risk analysis,” he explained in an interview with KU’s newspaper. “The framework can help guide them through that, and we’ll continue to build on this.”

It can be tricky to decide what’s cheating and what’s just a little extra help when it comes to using AI, but as schools wise up, regulations for the tech use are becoming more widespread.

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Education

Seton Hall University Hosts Dynamic BAASANA Conference on AI and Society

Published

48 minutes ago

September 16, 2025

The Editors

Keynote speaker Issata Oluwadare addressing conference attendees

Over the summer, Seton Hall University welcomed global scholars, executives and students
for the 2025 International Conference of the Business and Applied Sciences Academy
of North America (BAASANA), positioning the university and its Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) as leaders in convening high-level thought leadership events.

The two-day conference, themed “AI and Society: Navigating the Future of Technology
and Human Well-Being,” brought together voices from across academia, business and
technology to examine the promise and challenges of artificial intelligence. From
addressing ethical concerns to exploring the role of AI in education, leadership and
health, the conference underscored Seton Hall’s role as a hub for innovation, dialogue
and collaboration.

Jet Mboga, BAASANA president, opened the event by honoring the Academy’s founders
and longtime members before framing the conference’s urgency. “This theme could not
be timelier,” she noted. “As AI continues to transform industries and redefine relationships,
it is imperative that we critically examine its impact on human well-being and societal
structures. This gathering embodies BAASANA’s mission to bring innovation, intellectual
curiosity and social responsibility into focus.”

Conference highlights included an opening address from Berkeley College president
Diane Recinos on “Remembering the Human Side in an AI World,” followed by a student-led
panel on envisioning AI’s impact in higher education. The panel was moderated by John
H. Shannon of Seton Hall’s Stillman School of Business and featured Kathleen Meager ’25, Kyle Ganning ’25 and Nicole Voltmer ’26, who shared
their research findings from their intensive project Charting the Future of Higher Education, which they have presented to the university board and other audiences over the past
year.

Keynote speaker and Rutgers faculty member Issata Oluwadare explored Generation Z’s
social and workplace challenges in “Teaching Soft Skills to America’s Loneliest Generation,”
providing deep insight along with one of her students on how high-impact teaching
practices and empathy can engage Gen Z in ways that acknowledge the digital world
they grew up in, while fostering their talents, confidence and leadership development.

Breakout sessions delved into pressing questions on AI’s role in finance, healthcare,
marketing, leadership and education, with faculty and students from institutions across
the U.S. and abroad contributing research and perspectives. The breadth of presentations,
from deepfakes and social engineering to AI in human resource management and sustainability,
demonstrated the interdisciplinary reach of the conference.

Donald Crooks, BAASANA past president and professor emeritus of Wagner College, emphasized
the collaborative spirit at the heart of the event: “At BAASANA, we believe the intersection
of knowledge, innovation and community is where breakthroughs happen. This conference
was a testament to the power of collective expertise. The conversations here will
ripple outward, shaping how AI can be harnessed responsibly for the betterment of
society.”

Co-authors of the 2025 24-hour Hackathon research paper ready to present their findings
at the conference

Seton Hall played a key role not only as host but also as an active participant. Mary
Kate Naatus presented on AI’s potential to reshape global academic partnerships, noting:
“Hosting this conference with a strong student presence shows our commitment to being
a place where ideas are exchanged openly, where different perspectives come together,
and where those conversations spark innovation that reaches across industries and
borders.”

In addition, the conference featured Best Presentation Awards, with standout recognition
for Kendra Sherman, Seton Hall’s assistant director of residence life and doctoral
student in higher education leadership, for her research on international education
and AI. A paper emerging from the 2025 24-hour Hackathon, co-authored by Sandro Tejada,
Mark Schild, Manfred Minimair, Victor Lopez and Naatus, was also recognized, highlighting
Hackathons as catalysts for building a co-curricular culture of AI, cyber and innovation.
Reflecting on the initiative, Tejada shared, “This Hackathon is such an impactful
strategic initiative. It creates a space where students, faculty and industry leaders
can co-create solutions to real-world challenges while advancing research that has
immediate relevance.” Seton Hall will host its second annual 24-Hour Hackathon on
March 21 and 22, 2026 (more information available here).

Focused and Present: In-person Attendees at the 2025 BAASANA Conference

The conference was further shaped by the leadership of Margaret Laryea, a Stillman
master’s student in business analytics, who served as project manager and volunteer
coordinator for the event and noted, “This was a great venue for students to present
their work, gain feedback and build their professional networks.” Other Seton Hall
student presenters, including Janice Huang, demonstrated the university’s diverse
and growing talent, while international participants from Bangladesh and Nepal, including
Jahirul Haque, vice chancellor of the Canadian University of Bangladesh, helped expand
the dialogue around innovation and leadership around the globe.

Closing remarks from Wagner College president Jeffrey A. Doggett highlighted the need
for higher education institutions to address the reality of AI as it impacts the future
of work. Universities must prepare students to navigate within that evolving landscape,
understanding the technology, the benefits, the risks and to develop the ethical and
moral compass necessary to lead responsibly in an AI-driven world.

For inquiries on events and professional programming, as well as professional development
opportunities in AI, leadership and technology at Seton Hall, visit our division website or contact [email protected].

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Arts and Culture, Education, Nation and World

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