The Best AI Tools for Students

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming modern education, offering students powerful tools to enhance their learning experience. However, understanding the pros and cons of AI and using it responsibly is crucial to maximizing its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls.

The Best AI Tools for Students
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Introduction

The future is happening now.
With A.I., it is possible to say that students are living in the modern era and are now enrolled in contemporary education. The problem is, do students know how to take advantage of this? Without proper knowledge and orientation to the benefits of AI, they might use it for the wrong reasons–causing them harm instead of saving them.
It is important to be knowledgeable about how Artificial Intelligence works. It is important to understand its pros and cons and how to use it properly, and ethically. But before that, let us define what is A.I.

What is A.I.?

Artificial Intelligence commonly known as A.I., is a modern technology that could be compared to human intelligence. It creates programs or systems that historically, only humans could do. It can also perform tasks such as analyzing and solving problems, making decisions, generates information such as texts, images, videos, and others. There are main types of AI that can be categorized into three. These are narrow AI, general AI, and superintelligent AI.
Narrow AI is an artificial intelligence that can only do one specific task. Google Assistant is an example of Narrow AI. It is a virtual personal assistant that can process language and recognize voices. A user of Google Assistant could ask the app to set an alarm, and it automatically does it. Moreover, General AI is an artificial intelligence that could be compared and is almost identical to humans. It can perform intellectual tasks that only humans can do. It can even understand, learn, and apply knowledge. Finally, Superintelligent AI is an artificial intelligence that can do so much, it can perform tasks beyond what a human can do. This is an AI that can be creative, can solve even the most complex problems, can understand, and is responsive to human emotions. This is also an AI that can generate ideas, images, or inventions.

Pros and Cons

Although AI seems to be a cool tool in the modern era, students should understand its pros and cons to use it for their benefit, and not for the wrong reasons.
Pros
  • Knowledge Advancement. AI allows students to obtain and integrate across various fields rapidly.
  • Enhanced Accessibility. AI allows users especially those with visual and auditory impairment to process information. They can fully participate in a regular class as modern education is accessible to them.
  • Personalized Learning. AI adapts to the learning style and educational level of each student. It can create instructions, and lessons according to their needs. AI advances the teaching of students in areas they excel while assisting them to strengthen their weaknesses.
  • Cost-Effective. The ability of AI to understand complex problems and to automate tasks allows educational institutions to eliminate necessary resources for them to continue their operations.
Cons
  • High Dependence. Students could be too reliant on modern technology. It might affect their intellects resulting in low critical thinking, and decision-making. High dependency on technology might also result in people becoming less resourceful.
  • Slow Memory. Any information could be accessed right away resulting in slow memory. There is no longer a need to store facts as anyone can search it once they need particular information.
  • Threat. Those with proper human jobs might be replaced with AI eventually. It might result in them to lose their jobs. Moreover, students (or even everyone) can use its assistance for a common or simple task, which is quite alarming.
  • Security Issues. AI could store, and integrate information creating digital footprints. Without the proper knowledge of how to use it, information that should remain undisclosed might be at risk.

Few Steps to Maximize the Benefit of AI, “responsibly”

It is somehow disturbing if students do not understand the risks and potential harm AI may cause. But as mentioned above, the importance of AI should be known and understood for students to use it properly. Here are a few steps to do that:
  1. Be responsible. Students and educators need to be responsible for using AI. They must not use it for it to do their job. Instead, they should use AI to help and assist them to increase their knowledge, skill, and ability.
  1. Know how to balance traditional and modern learning. There still should be integration of traditional learning aside from modern learning. Modern learning alone does not help students improve their intellectual abilities.
  1. Adhere to ethical guidelines. Some policies and guidelines should be read, understood, and followed by AI users. Failure to adhere to these guidelines could put them at risk.
  1. Educate & Train. Students should equip themselves to utilize AI effectively. With this, they will be able to understand different AI tools, and the proper way to use them according to their needs.

Best AI Tools for Students

Responsible usage of AI tools is, therefore, important. Here are some of the best AI tools that can help students improve their knowledge and increase their intellectual capabilities:

Learning and Study Aids

  1. Socratic by Google. It is an AI tool that is powered by Google. It can assist students in their homework by solving and analyzing complex problems. It has a large database of resources that students could access, or ask questions to help them with their homework. Students may take a photo of their assignment, and the app provides them answers with comprehensive explanations. With Socratic, students will easily understand the topics in school, its process, and the solution to it.
  1. Brainly. It is an educational AI platform that provides answers to students’ questions. It covers different subjects in school not limited to Math, Science, English, and History. It is an app that caters to elementary to high school levels and offers various educational resources such as study guides and textbook solutions. The best part of this app is it is an interactive tool that challenges every user because of its points and rewards system. For each correct answer, users earn points which they can use upon asking questions.
  1. StudyBlue. It is an app for students that helps them enhance their learning experience with the aid of pre-made flashcards. Aside from pre-made flashcards, students can also create their flashcards, thus improving their understanding of particular topics. This app also allows students to collaborate, share information, and connect with their classmates, thus encouraging group studies.
  1. Wolfram Alpha. It is an AI tool that provides knowledge and answers to mathematical and arithmetic problems. It can also generate graphs, charts, or any visuals related to numbers or statistics. It is indeed, a scientific tool that could even convert units of measurement, analyze linguistic patterns, provide information about geographical locations, and insights about health metrics, and medical data.
  1. Coursera. It is an educational platform that offers valuable courses to students. These courses are designed by experts, provide comprehensive discussion, and allow users to obtain skills and knowledge at their own pace. Most of these courses are free unless there is a certification. These courses are made through video lectures where students need to interact by answering quizzes and doing projects and assignments.
Having organization increases students’ productivity. Here are some of the best AI Productivity tools that are highly suggested:

Productivity Tools

  1. Notion. It is an AI tool that allows users to organize information seamlessly. Students can integrate videos, texts, images, and links. Students can also use this app for note-taking, tracking assignments, and projects, and reminding them of the deadline. Notion allows students to collaborate with their classmates in real time.
  1. Todoist. It is an AI tool that increases students’ productivity. It helps them organize their tasks and categorize each of them with labels, and filters. Moreover, students can create a to-do list with this app, and set deadlines. It also supports real-time collaboration.
  1. Evernote. It is an AI tool that organizes the tasks of students. It can also capture notes and recognize handwriting for students to easily find specific information they need. Aside from that, students can also write to-do lists with Evernote, create reminders, and help them track deadlines. It also has features such as rich text formatting, multimedia embedding, and document scanning.
  1. Microsoft Evernote. It is a digital notebook where students can record and take notes with it. Students can also use it to record texts, drawings, and audio. Moreover, this app allows students to attach files, and share in real time.
  1. RescueTime. It is a time management tool that enables students to focus on priority tasks. It helps them track how much they spend on digital devices, analyzing and providing a report on their activities. In this app, students may also track apps causing them distraction, therefore, enhancing habits.
 
In conclusion, AI technology helps improve students' productivity. It also enhances their learning capacity. However, misuse of these AI tools could potentially put them at risk. So, students should have a balanced approach. They should maximize its benefits, and lessen their dependence on it.