Using AI as a Bicycle not a Crutch – Part 1: In the Classroom

The Problem:

I frequently hear concerns from professors and teachers about the challenges Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents to maintaining academic integrity. In parallel, I also work with companies and professionals who are anxious about job security and the potential for AI to replace them.

Many people ask the wrong question: "How do we limit AI use in the classroom or by our staff?" Instead, the right question is, "How do we ensure students learn what we are trying to teach while using AI as a tool for empowerment, not dependency?" In business, the focus should be, "How do we leverage AI to boost competitiveness while safeguarding our unique strengths—our 'special sauce'?"

The Proposal:

We should view AI not as a threat but as a powerful resource to help us achieve our goals more efficiently. Rather than seeing AI as a crutch or enemy, we should consider it a bicycle—something that enables us to move faster and farther, but still requires our skill to maintain balance and direction.

In the Classroom:

Education is about equipping ourselves with a set of tools we carry throughout our lives. We enhance our skills by attending workshops, taking courses, and learning from others so that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. As the saying goes, "Learn from others’ mistakes because we don’t have time to make all of them ourselves."

To stay competitive and efficient, we must embrace AI in education the way a contractor uses power tools to build a house. It’s possible to do the job without them, but it’s far less efficient. AI should be seen as one of these power tools, something that enhances our abilities and allows us to achieve more. Like riding an electric bike, AI enables us to cover more ground, but we still need to steer it and understand how to use it effectively.

The Bottom Line:

This is why I am integrating AI into everything I do. In the classroom, I incorporate AI into assignments with the same learning objectives, but without restrictions on AI use. I encourage students to use AI to enhance their learning process, not replace it. First, I have them try things manually, then use the traditional software (Excel Solver, Project Software, etc.) and explore how AI can assist with brainstorming, outlining, problem-solving, and optimization. The goal is to make AI an ally—a bicycle that helps them go farther—not a crutch that makes them weaker.

In everything we do we must "Master Change or Become Irrelevant."

Looking Ahead:

In Part 2, we’ll explore how to use AI as a Bicycle, not a Crutch, in the boardroom.