“Parents and teachers let students use calculators for math tests, so why not let students use generative AI (GenAI) to write essays? And one of those truths is that AI is not directly comparable to a calculator. Totally Different Skill SetsBy performing different functions, calculators and GenAI can take over for different types of human skill sets. Totally Different OutcomesRelatedly, it’s difficult to think of reasons why calculators might pose significant concerns for human spirituality, psychology, morality, and relationality. Instead, GenAI harnesses a totally different system to process totally different information for totally different uses, affecting totally different skill sets and leading to totally different outcomes than calculators do.

Source: CNN December 20, 2025 12:59 UTC