I am a 35‑year‑old graduate student, returning mid‑career to pursue a second master’s degree, and I am deeply concerned about the impact artificial intelligence is having on learning. I began my program at San Francisco State University in the fall of 2023, just as ChatGPT 3.5 was exploding into mainstream use. Like many students, I experimented with it early, long before universities had formal policies beyond “don’t use AI”. I found it helpful for refining my writing, summarizing readings, and breaking down complex concepts. It felt like an endlessly patient tutor, always ready with another explanation, always available on my schedule. 

Because I had already developed foundational skills in research, writing, and critical thinking, I could recognize its limitations and the danger of leaning on it too heavily. It wasn’t perfect; it may have inaccuracies or fabricated sources. Even so, the temptation to paste in an assignment prompt and let AI produce a draft was always there. I can only imagine how much stronger that temptation is for students who have not yet built those skills. Each time they let AI do the work for them, it becomes easier to justify: school doesn’t teach “real‑world skills” anyway, the degree is what matters, and AI will be there to help them on the job. Learning becomes optional, or perhaps more worrying, an obstacle in their eyes. 

We need to address this now, not just at the dinner table, but through policy. The California Department of Education should provide clear guidance to schools and teachers on educating both students and parents about the risks of overreliance on AI. If we fail to set a path, we cannot be surprised by where it leads. And in the spirit of full transparency: while I wrote this letter myself, I did use AI to help edit it. 

Would you have suspected it? Are you wondering if any of this was written by me at all now that you know AI was involved? Then you begin to see the enormity of the problem we face. 

Bryant Bao