How I Use AI as a Student: A Personal Perspective
By Dheer Panjwani, Cohort of 2023 – 2027, Data Science major, SIAS
(The views and practices shared in this article reflect the personal experiences of the student. Krea University does not endorse or take responsibility for the individual use of the AI tools mentioned. Students are encouraged to use such tools responsibly and in alignment with the University’s academic integrity policies.)
Throughout my educational journey, I’ve witnessed a stark divide in the quality of education whether it’s the scramble for seats in prestigious private institutions or the relentless marketing of coaching classes by tutors flaunting their exam ranks. Frankly, it can feel suffocating.
AI and Education
Fortunately, the new technologies we have now have access to aren’t as cutthroat as the antiquated “Ratta” (rote learning in Marathi language) methods of the past. Whenever the challenges of education in India come up, “democratisation of education through technology” is a recurring theme. Despite experiencing the distance learning era during the Covid-19 pandemic and witnessing the rise and hype of ed-tech platforms like Byju’s well before traditional coaching centres caught up, I’ve never been as struck by the transformative potential of a technology in both daily life and education as I am with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
It has integrated into my college life so seamlessly that I can barely remember what studying was like before it. Everyone has a unique learning style; some thrive on practice, others on visual aids, some on reading and comprehension. Traditional education doesn’t always cater to these differences, but AI can personalise content to an almost magical extent, dramatically boosting productivity even perhaps catering to the preferred learning methodologies of neurodivergent students.
For ease and experience
As a Data Science and Economics double major, my coursework can get intensely quantitative. For these subjects, I rely on AI to break down complex concepts, provide intuitive explanations, and generate relevant examples — from chess analogies for game theory and computational languages to step-by-step solutions for every kind of math problem I encounter. This helps acquire a knack for a subject that would otherwise require substantial time and effort. For theory-heavy subjects, I use AI to generate bullet-point summaries and scripts for podcasts, which I then convert to audio using text-to-speech tools. These are perfect to listen to while multitasking around campus.
AI has helped me approach debugging beyond the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mindset towards actually understanding the underlying problems behind failed programmes. As a chronic procrastinator, I’ve even prompted AI with, “This is my syllabus, and we have nine hours. Let’s make a study plan and crack it.” This worked surprisingly well for the exam I attempted (not academic advice).
Of tools and solutions
Tools like Perplexity have revolutionised my research workflow. What once took hours of trawling through obscure corners of the internet and compiling bibliographies now takes minutes. ChatPDF helps me skim through the toughest parts of long curricula. Though it sometimes fumbles with mathematics and citations, it’s a lifesaver when it comes to dense readings. To address citation accuracy, I’ve experimented with running open-source agentic AI models like Ollama, training them on specific textbooks, notes, and question types from professors. No more waiting for office hours just before an exam — a desperate question about a tricky equation can be explained to you in minutes “like you’re eight years old” by a Chat-Bot you trained yourself. More advanced online tools may even provide flashcards, PPTs and quizzes for any coursework you require.
Striking a balance
For me, AI is the great equaliser—especially for students without access to elite tutors or academic networks, but who crave a personalised learning experience. It has supercharged my productivity, freeing up time for deeper learning or simply pursuing other passions. Mundane tasks like writing professional emails have been automated. I barely recall the last time I wrote more than an outline before letting AI formalise it for me, (though I keep my language skills sharp through academic writing, because let’s be honest, there’s a thin line between efficiency and brainrot).
The flipside
Speaking of brainrot, let’s not ignore the endless stream of AI-generated garbage we’re exposed to. As the first generation to grow up with internet access in adolescence and now AI in early adulthood, we’re on the frontlines of this digital transformation. It’s both exhilarating and a little unnerving. With general AI just a few years away and computing power doubling every two years, we’re at a crossroads: overreliance and the infamous “black box” problem loom large. We risk automating tasks we once mastered, without always understanding what’s happening under the hood.
Long road ahead
That’s why I see AI not as a co-pilot (sorry, Microsoft) but more as an advisor or assistant, an enhancer, not a replacement. Otherwise, we risk turning ourselves into mere data point generators in the server farms of the future. I won’t speculate on the broader impact of AI on the job market (that’s a whole other article), but I will say this: AI has fundamentally changed how I learn, research, and organise my academic life. It has made education more accessible, more personalised, and, dare I say, a little more fun.
And if an AI ever tells you that you can ace quantum mechanics in three hours, sometimes a little optimism and delusion is exactly what you need.
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