Andrew Suryanto founded the University of NSW artificial intelligence society in the middle of 2023, months after the university banned AI from being used in assignments.
Three hundred students joined as soon as it became official. New members were impressed by the possibilities that AI promised, but they were equally worried about its impact on their job prospects after graduating.
Andrew Suryanto (centre) and leaders of UNSW Artificial Intelligence Society Rahul Markasserithodi, Jack Ma, Ishmanbir Singh and Tarushi Nandwani.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
“If it were born in any year before 2023, I don’t think we would have had nearly as much interest,” said Suryanto, a fifth-year computer science student.
“People are joining because they understand that if you don’t get ahead of this now, then it’s going to cause a lot of problems for you in the future.”
UNSW has revised its academic policy since Suryanto’s AI society was founded, with the use of generative tools now allowed if approved by the lecturer and credited correctly, as universities globally come to grips with the proliferation of machine learning in academia.
Among those is the University of Sydney, which now has an online module for students wishing to maximise the use of generative AI in their learning.
Students at the University of Sydney are also beginning to embrace AI. Credit: Oscar Colman
Jack Quinlan, an engineering and science student at the University of Sydney, helped design the module. With the help of AI, he can now write code up to 55 per cent faster than he previously could.
“It’s becoming almost a mandatory skill,” Quinlan said of integrating AI programs within his course. “As company expectations increase, our proficiencies need to increase with generative AI as well.”
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