Re:MIT's Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, a...
by cs_throwaway on Friday August 28, 2026 @03:38AM
(#49475549)
If you know how to use an agent, and I do, you can have do in minutes what would take a undergrad all summer to do.
But undergrad research has always served two roles: getting my work done and the pleasure of giving the best students the chance to go beyond the curriculum, which is designed for the average student.
I think the impact of AI on undergrad research opportunities will be zero. The bigger impact is reduced science funding. I have directed lots of PhD student grant funding to undergrads who deserved it. I don’t see myself doing that in the near future.
But undergrad research has always served two roles: getting my work done and the pleasure of giving the best students the chance to go beyond the curriculum, which is designed for the average student.
I think the impact of AI on undergrad research opportunities will be zero. The bigger impact is reduced science funding. I have directed lots of PhD student grant funding to undergrads who deserved it. I don’t see myself doing that in the near future.