Are you using AI? Are you ashamed?
- Philippe Beaudoin
- April 28, 2026
- Les Grandes Rencontres du Collège Laflèche
On November 30, 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT and changed the world. What began as a minor demo—almost a toy to the company’s ultra-serious researchers—would go on to transform every facet of our lives.
Nowhere was this disruption felt more acutely than in education. Within the first few months, professors and school administrators panicked: “Everyone is going to cheat! No one will learn anything ever again!”
Three years later, where do we actually stand?
This discussion between a self-described “nerd student with a poetic streak” and his former literature professor explores the shifting landscape of learning without prejudice or taboos. Together, they tackle the heavy questions:
- Is AI fundamentally antithetical to the concept of a healthy education?
- What new responsibilities does it place on students?
- What is required of academic institutions and society as a whole?
Neither Philippe nor Christian claim to have definitive answers. Instead, their goal is to spark a rich, open exchange of ideas, inviting the reflections of curious students who must navigate this new digital reality every single day.
Discussion summary
Artificial intelligence is at the heart of many current debates. Three guests from different disciplines gathered to discuss its implications. Philippe Beaudoin, an AI specialist and renowned researcher, offered this perspective to a student questioning the role of AI in education:
“Learning the guitar is hard, but there is immense satisfaction in the learning process. Use artificial intelligence to pursue something you already have a spark for inside you, not just to pass a class.” — Philippe Beaudoin, AI Specialist and Researcher
During the same part of the interview, Christian Bouchard, a retired college professor, added:
“I am still learning, always. Learning is hard, and when given the choice between the easy way and the hard way, human beings will always choose the easy way. We have to understand that there is a deep joy in learning.” — Christian Bouchard, Retired Professor
The host and philosophy professor at Collège Laflèche weighed in, stating:
“We tend to instrumentalize learning, and AI becomes a danger because it strictly optimizes for performance and saves time.” — Pierre Michaud, Philosophy Professor