Real Intelligence: Teaching in the Era of Generative AI

Last updated on: September 18, 2025 at 11:45 am by James F. McGrath

0 Comments

Real Intelligence: Teaching in the Era of Generative AI 2025-09-18T11:45:31-04:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Real Intelligence: Teaching in the Era of Generative AI is my latest book, co-authored with my friend and Butler University colleague Ankur Gupta, who is a computer scientist. The book is published open access by PALNI Open Press. We hope it will be useful to educators. I’ve seen so many educators expressing panic and despair online. The book aims to tackle the widespread misunderstanding of the technology that is at the heart of this reaction. It then leverages an accurate understanding of the technology and its limitations to offer concrete suggestions about assignment types that will work in the era of generative AI, without the need to police AI usage as such.

Here is a press release for the book:

For teachers already facing the challenges of educating, the rise of artificial intelligence, especially in large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, can seem overwhelming. As high school and college students become more proficient in using AI, their teachers can feel left behind—and at least some of them are panicking about it. Some are even quitting their jobs.

That’s why Butler professors James F. McGrath and Ankur Gupta have teamed up to write Real Intelligence: Teaching in the Era of Generative AI. McGrath is a humanities professor who has taught across his university’s core curriculum; he had to learn quickly what LLMs can and cannot do, and has given talks on creative and effective pedagogy in the age of AI. Gupta is a computer science professor who understands the ins and outs of LLMs. Here they have teamed up to produce a book for nonspecialists on how to counteract—and even incorporate—this groundbreaking new technology.

In Real Intelligence, the authors walk readers through the basics of what AI is and isn’t, and strategies educators can use not only to make sense of the technology, but even to acquaint students with it—on teachers’ own terms. The authors show readers ways of working with AI that make cheating with it far less practical or feasible for students, and even offers on ideas for how to help students engage with LLMs as conversation partners in their research. Indeed, this book will help teachers prepare students to live in a world with AI, and thus fulfill their calling to equip students for life in a changing world.

Why respond to this ever-evolving technology by writing a book? After all, skeptics may wonder whether a book might be outdated by the time it goes to print. But we already know now the basics of what we’re facing, the authors argue. And there’s a timelessness in how we should respond. This challenge, like the others before it, requires us to think carefully about how we teach, how we test, and how we evaluate students. Even if AI were to disappear tomorrow, what the authors are arguing for would improve student learning.

For educators, for parents, for administrators, this is no time for panic—but it’s no time for business as usual, either. Instead, it’s time for a fresh look at the kind of learning that can navigate both the limits and the possibilities of AI, and thus prepare us all to understand the technology that is quickly becoming an unavoidable—and necessary—part of our lives.

I will be giving this year’s Carr Lecture at Mount Union University in Ohio, and will draw on my collaborative work with a computer scientist to explore the subject of that lecture: “AI Isn’t God (or Even Human).” Real Intelligence keeps things broad so that it is useful for as a wide an array of educators as possible, but the fact that my is Religious Studies comes across in places, especially in examples that I offer.

Download the book or read it online, and please do two things. First, share this book far and wide, because so many educators have been expressing the need for what this book offers. Second, let me know if you find the book helpful, if you have questions, if you have ideas for assignments inspired by reading it, and how those work for you in the classes you teach. Even if you aren’t an educator, the explanation of the technology will definitely still be of interest.

Education and Religion

artificial intelligence

Previous Post

September 14, 2025

The Evil of the Murder of Charlie Kirk

Next Post

September 20, 2025 Hymnprovisations

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"V. good.For me, the gold standard for this sort of thing is still Wikihistory by ..."

Scurra

The Time-Traveler’s Apprentice (A Short Story)

"The one who says "no one comes to the Father but through me" is the ..."

James F. McGrath

Attack on Religious Freedom in Indiana

"Until I read, "As a Christian, it is possible but not at all necessary to ..."

Sam Vimes

Attack on Religious Freedom in Indiana

"Hey James, regarding your penultimate paragraph, I struggle with the same issue. I do think ..."

Jeff Cate

The Fourth Synoptic Gospel

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz