Mercer has no strict policy on the use of generative artificial intelligence in the classroom, yet many professors at the University have differing opinions on how they implement it in their classes.
Like many universities, Mercer is currently advancing in the artificial intelligence department. Many professors in the Engineering department use AI in research projects, and Mercer has started to offer a master of science in data science.
The official University policy allows professors to define rules for their courses and allows students to use AI as long as they follow the honor code.
However, even as some departments at Mercer move forward with the booming technology, many professors remain skeptical.
Deneen Senasi, professor of English and director of writing at Mercer, said she has been tracking the development of AI since 2023.
“AI technologies are incompatible with the work of the university, as they rely on the theft of writers and artists’ intellectual property via the uncompensated, non-consensual use of materials for the training of their large language models,” Senasi said, referring to the way AI models scour every part of the internet for anything that can be used to help feed or train the large language models that are being developed.
AI models “need the data, so they take it and claim it’s transformative fair use,” David Carson, a JSK Journalism Fellow at Stanford University wrote in an article in April 2025.
Conversely, Co-Chair of the Computer Science Department at Mercer Andy Digh said, “AI is an amazing resource for students. I wish I had it during my own college years. I like to call it a thought partner or an incredible tutor available 24/7.”
Digh also said he asks his students to use AI in responsible ways, and that he recognizes there are right and wrong ways to use the tool.
Doyle Tate, an assistant professor of psychology at Mercer, said he is staunchly against AI in both his professional and personal life.
“AI takes away just as much if not more than it potentially gives, potentially because it is still wrong much of the time. Students also miss out on learning and accomplishment when AI does the work for them,” Tate said.
Senasi brought up a George Orwell quote as she discussed AI. Orwell argued in his 1946 essay, “Why I Write,” that, “Those who don't write well, don't think well. And those who don't think well will have their thinking done for them by someone else."
Senasi said she has carried that idea into her syllabus preparation by requiring all writing for her class be completed with paper and pencil in the classroom.
Senasi is one of many professors choosing to go back to analog methods in the classroom, according to an article from Inside Higher Ed. Many professors are making students write in front of them in an effort to prevent use of AI in the classroom.
Digh said he wants his students to understand AI can be used in both positive and negative ways.
“I like using this red-yellow-green light metaphor,” he said. “Green for brainstorming and debugging, yellow for guided assistance and red for when it becomes a crutch that replaces critical thinking or original work.”
This is consistent with advice the Harvard Graduate School of Education published in January 2025 regarding AI. It encourages using AI as a supportive tool rather than completely relying on it. However, many professors still prefer to completely ban AI from their classrooms, rather than allow students to experiment and use it in supportive ways.
“I have a strict no-AI use policy in my classrooms,” Tate explained. “I am very open with students about the harms of AI, not only to their learning but also their future employment.”
He added that as a psychology professor, he is paying attention to the initial research on AI and how it can lead to learning difficulties, especially ones related to critical thinking.
While all three professors have differing views on AI in the classroom, they said they believe the Mercer policy regarding it is fair and leaves professors room for interpretation.
“The university-wide policy is designed to be adaptable to many contexts, and as such is necessarily broad and flexible,” Senasi said.
Geetanjali Angara ‘29 is an International Affairs major at Mercer University and a staff writer at The Cluster. Her hobbies are reading, writing and playing piano. You can typically either find her with a good book or singing a Taylor Swift song.
