This story is published as part of the Baltimore News Collaborative, a project exploring the challenges and successes experienced by young people in Baltimore. The collaborative, of which Wide Angle Youth Media is a member, is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. News members of the collaborative retain full editorial control.

As artificial intelligence tools spread across college campuses, students at Morgan State University continue to debate whether the technology sharpens their thinking or makes them dependent.

About 85% of college students across 166 institutions use generative AI for coursework, per a recent Inside Higher Ed survey. Another report found that 65% use AI tools like ChatGPT weekly, compared with just 30% of instructors.

Many Morgan students have already woven AI into their daily academic and creative routines. Out of six journalism and multimedia production majors interviewed, four said they use AI regularly, not just for coursework but also for personal and artistic projects.

“I use it to make mockups for designing clothes and to help answer homework questions,” said Aaron Simpson, a senior multiplatform production major.

“When I record, I use AI to fix my mix because there’s always something we don’t hear in the music,” said Daron Carter, a senior multiplatform production major and music producer.

Some students see AI as a natural part of learning. 

“I use AI every day to help with assignments, review my drafts and answer random questions,” said Kelsi Jones, a senior multimedia journalism major and Bear TV anchor. 

“I even use it for personal advice. It gives solid guidance, and I like taking advantage of that.”

Others take a more cautious approach. 

“I don’t want to fall victim to not being able to think for myself,” said Addis Romero, a senior strategic communication major and researcher.

“I use AI to fix grammar in emails or to reorder research findings by date, but I make sure it doesn’t think for me.”

Adegoke Ade-Ayeni, a senior multiplatform production student, said he avoids AI unless absolutely necessary. “It makes some tasks simpler, but it takes away creativity and autonomy,” he said. 

Ade-Ayeni also criticized the industry’s environmental impact.

“These databases rely on data centers in predominantly Black or low-income communities, and they use massive amounts of energy,” he said. “That harms the environment, and I don’t want to support that.”

As yet, there exists no scientific consensus on whether AI threatens the human ability to think for oneself. There is, however, enough concern among high profile observers that at least three open letters have been issued in recent years calling for a pause in AI advancement and development.  

The most recent is an October 2025 statement published by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute which called for “a prohibition on the development of superintelligence.” The statement carries 86,000 signatures at this writing, a list of names that crosses broad ideological and geographic lines, including Steve Bannon, a White House adviser under Donald Trump, Prince Harry, Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama Administration, musician will.i.am, Kersti Kaljulaid, the former president of Estonia, actor Natasha Lyonne and Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland.

At Morgan, faculty members share both optimism and concern. 

Dr. Baruti Kopano, a professor in the School of Global Journalism and Communication, said he uses AI “as a partner.”

“When I apply for a grant or plan a project, I ask AI for feedback or suggestions,” Kopano said. “It saves time and helps me think differently.”

But he also warns against misuse.

 “I’ve never seen so many students so consistently dishonest,” Kopano said. “We’re ignoring the danger of having a generation that uses tools to avoid thinking. The problem isn’t the technology, it’s the loss of the struggle to think.”

Morgan’s Center for Equitable Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) studies how AI intersects with bias, access and culture, especially in communities of color.

“AI is a mirror,” one CEAMLS researcher said. “It reflects our biases, but it can also help us recognize them.”

The debate across Morgan’s campus goes beyond efficiency, it’s about identity. Some students see AI as a creative collaborator. Others view it as a shortcut. 

“AI is a useful tool for students,” Jones said. “It helps us improve our work.”

Ade-Ayeni disagreed. “Doing the work by hand proves your voice can’t be generated,” he said.

As Morgan moves deeper into the AI era, students and professors agree that the challenge isn’t just learning how to use new tools, it’s remembering how to think beyond them. 

“Maybe the real challenge isn’t outsmarting AI,” Romero said. “It’s staying human while using it.”