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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Explains How Students Should Use AI in Education Without Losing Critical Thinking Skills
Charlie Kirk addresses a caller's concerns about artificial intelligence in education, arguing that while AI cannot be avoided, students must prove they can still think and write independently. Kirk shares his personal method of using ChatGPT as a research tool and thinking partner, explaining how he uses it to study complex topics like Islam and prepare for campus debates. He advocates for a balanced approach where students can use AI at home for preparation, but teachers must implement regular in-class tests without technology to ensure students retain the ability to write, think critically, and process information without digital assistance.
When a caller named Josh asked Charlie Kirk whether AI should be allowed in education, particularly in high school and college, Kirk offered a nuanced perspective that acknowledges both the inevitability and the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in learning environments. The question touched on whether students should be permitted to use AI to complete assignments and whether AI might replace traditional teaching methods.
Kirk's response was direct: there's no getting away from AI, so students must learn how to use it properly. However, this comes with an important caveat—educators must ensure that students still retain the capacity to think independently and write without technological assistance.
A Balanced Approach to AI Integration
Kirk proposed a specific framework for how AI should be integrated into education. Students should be allowed to use AI as much as they want at home for studying and preparation. They can utilize it as a tutor or research assistant to enhance their learning. However, the most critical component of this approach is that the assignments carrying the most weight toward final grades should be in-class tests conducted without any technology.
These tests should require students to demonstrate their abilities using only a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. Kirk emphasized that teachers should confiscate all phones, remove access to laptops, and eliminate internet connections during these assessments. This forces students to prove they can still write by hand and think without digital crutches.
AI as a Thinking Partner, Not a Replacement
Kirk shared his personal experience using ChatGPT as a research tool and thinking partner rather than as a replacement for his own cognitive abilities. When preparing for programs and wanting to learn more about Islam, he spent an hour with ChatGPT asking specific questions about Islamic beliefs, whether Muhammad is considered sinless, whether he's viewed as the greatest person who ever lived, his presence in the Quran, and the definition of a hadith.
This method proved far more efficient than conducting endless Google searches. Kirk described how he uses AI to create comprehensive charts and data compilations. For example, he asks ChatGPT to list the top 50 Islamic countries and provide detailed information about each one, including GDP per capita, total GDP, private property rights, separation of powers, freedom of speech, and specific cultural practices. This creates a study resource that he can analyze and question further.
The Self-Testing Method
Kirk revealed an interesting technique he uses to internalize information learned through AI assistance. After spending an hour working with ChatGPT on a particular topic, he asks the AI to create a test covering everything he just learned. He then copies the test, sends it to his team members Danny and Mikey, and asks them to print it out and place it on his desk. He then takes the test himself to ensure he has truly internalized the information rather than simply having access to it.
This approach makes him better at his campus Q&A sessions, where students sometimes come to the microphone with AI in their hands, essentially forcing him to debate artificial intelligence. Kirk noted that to effectively debate AI, he sometimes needs to use it himself to improve his own knowledge and argumentation skills.
The Importance of Cursive Writing
As part of his broader educational philosophy, Kirk advocated for bringing back cursive writing in schools. He cited numerous studies showing that cursive writing benefits the brain in multiple ways, including improved fine motor skills, enhanced memory and learning, stronger neural connections, better functional specialization, improved sensory-motor integration, and deeper understanding of words.
Kirk believes that students who can write in cursive tend to be more creative, analytical, and fair-minded. This fits into his larger argument that students need to maintain traditional cognitive skills even as they adopt new technologies.
The Role of Teachers and Parents
When Josh expressed concern that many students lack the discretion to use AI appropriately, unlike Kirk's disciplined approach, Kirk placed responsibility on both parents and teachers. However, he particularly emphasized that teachers who want higher salaries should be expected to teach students how to use AI for good rather than as a crutch.
The forcing function of technology-free tests, Kirk argued, would naturally teach students to use AI more effectively. When students know their entire grade depends on what they can write on paper without any technological assistance, they will learn to use AI as a true learning tool rather than a shortcut to avoid actual thinking.
AI as a Research Enhancement Tool
Kirk also shared how AI assisted him in research for his upcoming book about the Sabbath. He used ChatGPT to quickly locate specific Bible verses discussing the Sabbath, confirming his memory that references appeared in both Exodus and Deuteronomy. This represented a maximization of his research capacity rather than a replacement for his own analytical work.
The key distinction Kirk made was that AI should be used to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. When used as a tool to ask better questions, organize information more efficiently, and test one's own knowledge, AI becomes an educational asset. But when it replaces the fundamental human activities of thinking, writing, and remembering, it becomes detrimental to cognitive development.
