Kids and young students need to learn how to deal with AI.Generative AI like ChatGPT still has no useful place in the classroom.Machine learning can help teachers to grade papers, and schools to surveil students.
AI in schools might look like teachers spending less time planning and more time teaching in ways that help students learn better.
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Artificial intelligence in education is already a thing. From students using chatbots to write their papers for them to AI-powered surveillance, it’s happening. But are kids also being taught how to deal with a world filled with AI lies?
If school is about preparing people for their future lives, then students need to at least learn how to deal with AI. Just as electronic calculators went from being disallowed in maths class to being required tools, and computers moved from specialized labs to every student’s backpack, so AI is already influencing how and what young people learn. But is the current wave of AI hype actually worthy of being put on the curriculum, or should we be more focussed on teaching its dangers so future adults are prepared to handle it?
"The fact is that AI permeates our global world, so our students need to learn ethical and responsible use for themselves, while also learning the importance of fact-checking and foundational research skills to be proactive, prepared, and aware consumers of all content, much of which is now being generated by AI," Dr. Vicki Phelps, executive director, and head of school at Quest Academy, told Lifewire via email.
AI in Education
It’s tempting to use AI as a tool for education, but how might that look in practice? The main problem with what we currently call "AI," or generative software that uses large language models (LLMs) to amalgamate chunks of text or images, is that it can’t be trusted.
If you use it to generate teaching materials, then the teacher needs to fact-check everything anyway, so they may as well write it from scratch. If students use it either to cheat on their essay-writing or just to research it for them, then the same thing applies. Worse, they will not have actually learned anything. Education is not about the result but the process.
Students can use AI to help with homework and other school activities.
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"AI often simplifies complex thoughts and ideas into a generic response rather than critically examining and validating supportive information. This is why, as educators, we must emphasize the value of critical thinking when using AI. It’s not about replacing human judgment but enhancing it," Jamie Krenn, adjunct associate professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Sarah Lawrence College, told Lifewire via email.
Popular Problems
But AI in schools isn’t just about using LLMs and chatbots to either confuse or teach students. These tools can be used to support the learning process.
"In many classrooms today, AI is already being integrated into adaptive learning platforms, virtual tutors, and grading systems. With proper oversight, AI can enrich the learning experience by providing tailored content and alleviating administrative burdens, but we must remain vigilant about its limitations," Jed Macosko, professor of physics and research director at Academic Influence, told Lifewire via email. "Teachers should use AI to support their instruction while emphasizing the need for students to verify information and use AI as a tool, not an infallible source."
Another use for AI in schools, welcome or not, echoes its use outside in the rest of the world: student surveillance. "AI solutions can provide intrusion detection and weapon detection capabilities, as well as facial and license plate recognition and detecting things like smoke, fire, vapor particles, and allergens, to help keep students and staff safe," David Ly, CEO and founder of cloud video platform Iveda told Lifewire via email.
Ly suggests that AI could be used to detect vaping behind the bike sheds or "increasing volumes and vibrations in voices, like when a verbal or physical fight is instigated."
AI surveillance methods can help keep our students safer while they’re in the classroom.
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If this all sounds a bit creepy, then don’t worry—it is. But these kinds of AI deployments—which in this case might better be described as machine learning—mirror its encroachment on the world at large. The largest benefits of AI accrue to the largest users. Corporations use it to replace skilled labor with interchangeable unskilled operators, and businesses can ride the hype wave to sell unneeded and unwanted tech.
Schools are not exempt from this, and we should expect ed-tech to reflect the ingress of AI in the real world. But we definitely cannot ignore it. If LLM-based generative AI is here to stay (and that’s far from certain), then we should be preparing young people to deal with it, to remain skeptical of it, and to understand how it can be used as well as abused.
"Instead of viewing AI as a replacement for teaching, let’s embrace it as a powerful learning tool. I encourage my students to write short commentaries with AI prompts of their choice. They then critically evaluate AI’s general, non-detailed information and seek support in the field to substantiate what AI writes, thereby enhancing their learning experience," says Krenn.
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