{"id":1892,"date":"2026-03-16T06:40:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T06:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/?p=1892"},"modified":"2026-03-16T06:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T06:40:42","slug":"wait-a-minutewhat-if-i-dont-want-to-use-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/?p=1892","title":{"rendered":"Wait a Minute\u2026What If I Don\u2019t Want to Use AI?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI is everywhere right now. It writes summaries, explains theories, fixes grammar, and recommends playlists.<br>But here\u2019s the thing nobody says out loud: you\u2019re allowed not to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you feel anxious, unsure, or just plain uninterested, opting out of AI is a perfectly valid choice, and one that deserves just as much support as using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3059\" height=\"3024\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/files\/2026\/03\/What-if-I-dont-want-to-use-AI.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1894\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AI freaks me out a bit\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re not alone. For many students, the hesitation comes from not fully trusting what AI will do, sometimes it seems helpful, sometimes it feels confusing. That uncertainty is enough to make anyone pause, especially when you want your work to feel genuinely your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deciding not to use AI doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re out of touch. It shows you\u2019re thoughtful about how you work and what supports your learning best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Aren\u2019t there significant ethical concerns around AI?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, and this is exactly what\u2019s so great about our Aber students. So many of them are thinking beyond the tools themselves and considering the bigger picture. They\u2019re raising issues like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate impact:<\/strong> AI isn\u2019t magic; it runs on energy. A lot of it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human cost:<\/strong> Some AI systems rely on low\u2011paid workers in the Global South who label data or filter harmful content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tech giants:<\/strong> Using certain tools can feel like indirectly funding companies that don\u2019t always align with your values.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caring about these issues is not being \u201cdramatic.\u201d It\u2019s being a thoughtful and engaged citizen of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is happening to my data?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some students worry about what happens to the things they type into AI tools. Who sees it? Where is it stored? Can it be used to train future models?<br>If that uncertainty makes you uncomfortable, choosing not to use AI, or using it only for low\u2011stakes tasks, is absolutely valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is AI Undermining my Confidence?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whilst AI can sound like a super\u2011supportive friend, agreeing with everything you say and telling you how brilliant your work is, that can actually be counterproductive. If everything looks \u201cgreat\u201d all of the time, it becomes harder to spot what really needs improving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI can be helpful, but it can also quietly chip away at your confidence if you rely on it too heavily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember: there\u2019s something empowering about putting that last full stop on an assignment you wrote yourself and coming away knowing: <em>I researched this. I wrote this. I understand this.<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>It\u2019s my choice, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI shouldn\u2019t feel compulsory. Not for essays, not for revision, not for anything. And if anyone makes you feel like you <em>must<\/em> use it, that\u2019s a conversation worth having with your personal tutor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, it\u2019s your learning, your values, your choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you use AI every day, occasionally, or not at all, you deserve tools, support, and guidance that respect your autonomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI is everywhere right now. It writes summaries, explains theories, fixes grammar, and recommends playlists.But here\u2019s the thing nobody says out loud: you\u2019re allowed not to use it. Whether you feel anxious, unsure, or just plain uninterested, opting out of AI is a perfectly valid choice, and one that deserves just as much support as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31644,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[132,130],"tags":[264,266,42],"class_list":["post-1892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information-skills","category-learning","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-information-skills"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/31644"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1892"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1898,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1892\/revisions\/1898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}