April 13, 2026
The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published an article by Chrysanthos Dellarocas, arguing that the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT is forcing a fundamental rethink of higher education.
As AI can now produce essays, code, and analyses with ease, traditional measures of learning, based on producing these outputs, no longer reliably indicate understanding.
Instead, he emphasizes the need to shift toward “artifact reasoning,” where students learn to frame problems, guide AI tools, and critically evaluate outputs. Drawing on his teaching experience at Boston University Questrom School of Business, he shows how this approach better prepares students for a workplace shaped by AI.
“If AI can write the code, draft the essay, and generate the analysis, what is left to learn? The answer is the hardest thing to teach: genuine understanding, deep enough to know when the artifact in front of you is right, and what to do when it isn’t,” Dellarocas adds.
The bottom line: higher education must move beyond teaching students to produce work and instead focus on developing the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate and guide AI-driven outputs.
