By Wonsuh Song
Yesterday, I had to firmly admonish several students who relied too heavily on AI to create their presentation slides. Their slides looked polished, but the presenters themselves struggled. They stumbled over unfamiliar terms, failed to follow their own flow of logic, and merely read aloud content they did not understand. As a result, the audience could not grasp the message, and the presenters became increasingly anxious and lost.
But today, the same students delivered something entirely different.
They created their own PowerPoint slides, organized the content themselves, added explanations where needed, and presented again—with a different topic. And this time, the outcome was remarkable. Their presentations were coherent, natural, and easy to follow. They looked at the audience, not the screen, and conveyed the material in their own words. The difference between yesterday and today was dramatic.
What changed?
They understood—deeply.
Material generated by AI may look refined, but it is not their voice, not their thinking. Trying to explain something they have not digested makes the presenter awkward and the audience confused. After experiencing this contrast firsthand, the students made their own decision:
They will no longer rely on AI-generated presentations.
I believe such experiences are essential. University should be a place where students can fail safely—where they can experiment, struggle, make mistakes, and learn by doing. Only through such real experiences do they truly internalize knowledge. Understanding both the power and limitations of AI through practice will help them build their own direction for learning and growth.
We often assume that simple explanations mean simple content. But the truth is the opposite.
The simpler the explanation, the deeper the understanding behind it. Only those who can discover and connect the invisible threads between ideas can offer clarity to others.
Good teaching and good content are not about polished slides—they are about fully understanding something and expressing it in one’s own words. AI can generate materials, but it cannot replace the process of understanding.
This is why university must be a place not only to acquire knowledge but to learn how to learn.
A place where students practice explaining the world in their own structure, their own voice, and their own logic.
I hope this remains such a space.
Wonsuh Song (Ph.D.)
Full-time Lecturer, Shumei University / NKNGO Forum Representative
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