Freshmen, now’s your chance to ditch AI

When I first entered college as a freshman in Fall 2024, the use of AI was already becoming a problem. Colleges around the country were grappling with the advent of ChatGPT and a host of other generative AI platforms, and so were individuals. Before I left for UConn, I had already resolved for myself that I would not use AI. At the time, I didn’t think too much of this stance. Being a writer and involved in the humanities, I saw no use for the technology and had no desire to have AI complete my assignments for me. As my third year begins, however, I have come to see my opposition to AI in a new light. It is not just our integrity that we are fighting for; it is our very minds. If you want to keep your brain intact, it’s time to detach from AI before it claims too much of a hold.  

Generative AI has unleashed a great paradox upon the world. Theoretically, the technology allows you to produce anything you could ever want – essays, books, even movies – all with a quick prompt. This is part of the reason why many proponents of AI often gush about its seemingly unlimited possibilities. But the output of AI is hollow. AI can train on human words and visuals, but it will never replicate the actual creative element. AI will never have to struggle to find the right words, as I have done several times while writing this article. In losing the struggle, we lose the humanity that should be inherent in what humans create. The ability to create things instantly invalidates the value of their creation. 

With this distinct lack of creativity, AI also encourages a dangerous sense of conformity. Being an amalgamation of humanity’s past output, generative AI presents what it thinks is normal; it tries to find the average, agreed-upon answer amid all of the data. This conformity, while maintaining a sense of safety, jeopardizes individuality, just as AI’s inability to actually create does. You will eventually start thinking and making decisions like everyone else, because AI doesn’t really recognize your individuality. In college, individuality is one of the most important aspects. College is about discovering who you are and what you want to be. How can we do that when AI churns out essentially the same results for all of us? How can we exercise individuality when we give the functions of our brain over to a machine?  

The challenge of tackling these issues must be faced by every student, and it is a battle we must wage largely without outside help. No one is stopping you from using AI to complete your work, not even UConn. The university has embraced the “possibilities” of the technology, launching AI for ImpaCT, which is intended to “connect and advance AI efforts across our academic, research, operational and public service missions.” In other words, according to UConn, AI is here to stay. UConn’s Professor Arash Zaghi echoed this sentiment in 2025 when he confidently stated that “You cannot declare war against AI.”  

At the same time, the tech industry continues its march towards integrating AI into absolutely everything. When I do a Google search, despite my hatred of it, a largely unhelpful AI overview is the first thing to pop up. The companies pushing AI have made the technology inescapable and unavoidable. In their minds, the choice is not whether to adopt AI and not even how; the choice revolves around how much money will line their pockets.  

The good news is that freshmen still have a choice. You may have used AI extensively in high school, or you may not have. Either way, college offers you a new beginning. It may seem like embracing AI is the easier, better path. At this point, many UConn courses and career paths involve unavoidable uses of AI. Proponents of AI are right about one thing: The world and the workplace are increasingly revolving around the technology.  

Even so, there is still a gap between plunging straight into the AI waters or cautiously treading them. Perhaps it seems practical to try and master AI, to be an expert at finding the right prompt to say, so you can be useful in the workplace. Yet the more you use AI, the more AI takes over your tasks, the more it becomes indispensable. In turn, your role will become equally dispensable, until companies decide they really only need the robot and not the human direction. 

However, there is one thing AI certainly cannot replicate, and that is the workings of your mind, with all of its complexities and its creativity. Its ability to crash and burn and pick up the pieces is immensely powerful. Your mind can imagine entire worlds without needing a prompt. It may take longer to do things than AI, but it is 100 percent yours. If you keep your mind intact, free of the shortcuts and conformity AI offers, you can fight the war we have been told we cannot win. And you will do it by being human.