Stop Fighting AI – Start Teaching It!

Imagine walking into a workplace where your new hire refuses to use email because they think it’s cheating. Sounds ridiculous? Well, that’s how it feels when recent graduates resist AI—which has quickly become a powerful and essential workplace tool. Like it or not, it’s here, and it’s changing how work gets done. And yet, we continue to hear educators railing against AI as an evil tool for plagiarism, a shortcut that students use to avoid thinking for themselves, and a threat to learning. 

Of course, students need to learn to write in their own voice, think critically and independently, and develop original ideas. But let’s be clear: educators who define AI solely as a tool for academic dishonesty are missing the bigger picture. AI is much more than a glorified essay-writing machine. It’s a research assistant, a brainstorming partner, a tutor, a data analyzer, a workflow optimizer, a translator, a coding assistant, a design tool, and so much more.

That doesn’t mean AI needs to be integrated into every single class—but it does need a place in the curriculum. Students should graduate with a working knowledge of how to use AI effectively, ethically, and creatively in the workplace. Unfortunately, many educators don’t understand AI themselves, let alone teach their students how to leverage it. And teaching AI requires more than a simple lesson on “hallucinations.” It demands hands-on engagement, critical discussion, and real-world applications.

Take It from Us

At QA Commons, we’ve hired young graduates, and combatting their fear of AI has been tough. We need them to know how to use it—adeptly, creatively, and with a keen ethical lens. Hesitation to engage with AI puts individuals at a severe disadvantage in the workplace. From an employer’s perspective, it’s exasperating.

The workplace isn’t waiting for the education system to catch up. AI is already embedded in workflows across industries, streamlining operations, enhancing innovation, and enabling workers to do more in less time. Adaptability has always been key to employability, and today, AI literacy is digital literacy—one of QA Commons’ eight Essential Employability Qualities (EEQs). Understanding how to interact with AI, assess its outputs, and apply it responsibly is as fundamental as knowing how to navigate spreadsheets, conduct online research, or communicate professionally.

Great Educators Are Already Using AI Well

The best educators aren’t banning AI—they’re figuring out how to use it effectively in the classroom. They teach students how to leverage AI for better thinking, deeper learning, and real-world problem-solving. For example:

• At Cornell University, a textiles professor is using AI in an unexpected yet groundbreaking way—helping students design new fabric patterns based on historical and cultural influences. Rather than replacing creativity, AI is a co-creator, suggesting color palettes, generating design variations, and assisting students in visualizing their concepts before they even touch a loom. This approach doesn’t just teach students how to use AI—it teaches them how to collaborate.
• Business schools are integrating AI into marketing simulations, helping students develop and test campaigns in real-time.
• Engineering and computer science programs use AI to debug code, optimize solutions, and develop prototypes—just like professionals do in the workforce.
• Journalism classes use AI tools to analyze bias in reporting, teaching students to be more critical consumers and creators of media.

These educators aren’t shying away from AI. They’re using it strategically—and helping students understand its power and pitfalls.

Give it a Whirl

If you’re an educator who hasn’t seriously explored AI, start now! Play with it. Test it. Break it. Figure out what it can and can’t do. And then, where appropriate, incorporate it into your teaching.

• Teach students how to fact-check AI outputs. It’s not infallible. Knowing how to identify errors and biases is a critical skill.
• Show students how to use AI as a thinking partner. Have them brainstorm ideas, generate outlines, or summarize complex readings—then critique and refine AI’s suggestions.
• Have them experiment with AI across disciplines. Whether analyzing data, assisting in creative writing, or generating code, AI is a cross-functional tool.

The workplace has already adapted to AI. The question is: Will our education system keep up? If we don’t prepare students to use AI thoughtfully and strategically, we’re failing them.

AI is here to stay. Just use it.