Colorado College students are known for having difficult conversations, listening to opposing viewpoints, thinking critically about issues, and sharing their thoughts clearly. These skills are coming in handy as CC continues to balance the benefits and disadvantages of incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and similar technologies on campus.
Writer Julia Fennell ’21 spoke with several students and alumni who offered perspectives that ranged from strong support to deep concern. Some described AI as a powerful supplement that can accelerate understanding and prepare students for a rapidly evolving workforce, while others raised questions about authorship, over-reliance, environmental impact, governance, and what it means to remain fully human in our learning.
“There are students who believe AI is a great tool and use it in a variety of ways, including on applications, for developing routines or schedules, and even to get advice on personal issues. On the other end of the spectrum, there are students very against AI and who believe it shouldn’t be used because of its effects on the environment, its collection of information, and possible detriments to critical thinking skills … Generative AI, I believe, now has a permanent place in our society, and students should know about it, how to use it, and what its usage looks like in the working world, but they should also develop ethical and moral principles that guide their usage of it.”
— Katherine Marsella ’27, Political Science major; 2025 CC Honor Council Co-Chair and Spring 2026 Officer of Education and Outreach“Specifically, I think the way AI handles synthesis for research has become incredibly powerful and accurate. It allows students to parse through massive amounts of information quickly and identify key connections that might otherwise take days to find. It’s less about having the tool do the work for you, and more about using it to gain a deeper, faster understanding of complex topics … [Yet,] there is a persistent failure to recognize that these aren't just toys; companies continue to underestimate the weight of their power and the real-world consequences of ignoring their responsibility in providing such powerful tools.”
— Jevon Lipsey ’26, Computer Science major who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction and AI“One of my professors told me that he thinks generative AI is ‘anti-human,’ and that’s really stuck with me. As a globe, we’re investing inexorable amounts of money into technology that does little for us other than saving extra time on creating posters or worksheets, and instead uses incredibly irresponsible amounts of power and water.”
— Nick Smela ’29, Political Science and Film Studies double major“As a well-resourced college with a robust art department and an Office of Creativity and Innovation, it's hard to justify taking a shortcut for something that could provide students with valuable work experience.”
— Marynn Krull ’26, Political Science major“Truthfully, I do believe that since the world and most corporations, including my own company, are moving toward AI to streamline work and improve communication, it makes sense for CC to utilize these existing tools. Students are already widely using popular AI platforms, and the university could be at a disadvantage if students are more up to date than the institution itself. That said, with integration needs to come safeguards. Over-reliance on AI, cheating, and students not fully understanding the material can all be real issues.”
— Olivia Xerras ’24, Analyst in the Hot Wheels Marketing Department at Mattel and International Political Economy graduate“I believe AI should be used as a supplement and not your brain, meaning as something you go to with advice and polishing, not for it to do everything for you. It is a tool, which means it is created to help you be better, but you cannot be better if you don't do any of the work yourself.”
— Skye Pratt ’29, Business, Economics, and Society major“The reality is that AI is expanding rapidly, and we should figure out ethical ways to use AI. The more you understand it, the more you can understand policy against it.”
— Sofia Joucovsky ’25, International Political Economy major“A recurring theme in the class was the importance of planning and oversight to ensure AI systems are effective and reliable. I was also surprised by how much goes into AI governance, including managing data, privacy, and ethical practices. The course showed me that AI is not just a technical tool, but something that requires careful planning and ongoing attention.”
— Brianna Yanez ’26, Business, Economics, and Society major and student in AI in Business: Ethics, Equity, and Impact“It’s important that people understand the differences between generative AI, like LLMs, and machine learning, and how it might be implemented in different fields, especially in STEM. As a learning institution, CC should teach students how to use it responsibly and how to understand it, as I think being able to use AI well and efficiently is going to be a skill valuable in the workforce. CC has the opportunity to educate students on its use, how it works, and how to use it well, instead of just for generating homework answers or something like that.”
— Cate Rosenbaum ’25, Chemistry major“It is unrealistic to think we can avoid it completely, and we’re using it now as students whether we want to admit it or not. We must learn how to use it appropriately and ethically, and we can’t learn how to do that without the education of how to, which can be found on campus. But it must be an open conversation with faculty and students for it to be an educative experience.”
— Grace Nguyen ’26, Neuroscience major“In fields like finance, engineering, journalism, healthcare, and the sciences, AI is already being used to accelerate research, streamline operations, and improve accuracy … Importantly, these tools are not replacing human work or judgment; they are reducing time spent on routine tasks so people can focus on critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving … The question facing higher education is no longer whether students will encounter AI after graduation, but whether they will be taught how to use it critically, ethically, and effectively while they are still in school.”
— Cole Amaya ’26, Mathematical Economics major
AI on campus is not an easy topic, but the CC community has never turned down a challenge, and campus members will continue to research, discuss, and work together to find answers and common ground.
Read more about CC’s approach to Generative AI.
