Chris Rothwell, Director of the AI Institute, Wellington College Education, says we can worry about the future of AI, but we need to take action here and now
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most discussed topics today, and no more so than in education. This beguiling combination of technological wizardry and rapidly changing capabilities is now impacting every aspect of our lives. It is causing us to ask deep questions about what it means to be human and what the future will be, with much debate about the exciting and much needed benefits as well as the very serious risks.
There is, rightly, substantial focus on the risks that the technology presents for schools. Will AI destroy our ability to think independently; will it create generations of socially isolated adults? Also, what kind of jobs will be needed and how will we keep children safe from new AI threats?
Given the scale of the risks, you would be forgiven for thinking it a good idea to remove AI from schools completely, but there are two major reasons why that cannot be the path we choose. First, AI is in the world – the genie is out of the bottle. Pupils, parents and teachers are all using it, as are employers and the companies we interact with every day. This is impacting education, whether we choose to engage or not.
Secondly, the potential benefits of AI are too significant to ignore. Schools face a myriad of challenges every day that prevent them from giving every child the very best education. We know a lot about how people learn, and what it takes to help every pupil achieve their full potential, but time and resources prevent every student from making that progress. AI has the potential to genuinely transform outcomes by supporting a brilliant and tailored education for every pupil, while making teaching a more rewarding and less exhausting career.
We find ourselves navigating a challenging path. We are being pushed by the relentless pace of AI evolution and the need to navigate to an uncertain future, while also avoiding known and unknown pitfalls. Despite the uncertainty, we must respond to the impact AI is already having in schools. Here are the priorities.
* Strengthen governance and strategy. Set a clear vision with roles and accountability and back it up with leadership and policy to give clear guardrails and guidance on how AI can support the delivery of school priorities.
* Treat AI-related risks as safeguarding issues not IT problems – including issues around data, privacy, filtering and monitoring, hallucinations, deepfakes and persuasive chatbots.
* Train every member of staff on the safe and effective use of AI. Build confidence to use tools safely and productively, and raise awareness of the risks of bias, misuse and negative impact on children. Also prepare staff to support positive pupil use.
* Re-think assessment to ensure continued academic integrity with explicit expectations and guidance, transparency and adjustments. Teach pupils to use AI to support effective learning, not just efficient task completion.
The future is brought about by the thinking, choices and actions we all take. We cannot control the future of artificial intelligence, but we can control how we adopt the tools to better serve education and maximise positive impact across the education sector. This is why it’s essential that we spend time thinking deeply about the future of AI and take action today.
Wellington College wellingtoncollege.org.uk
Further reading: MPW on the power of AI – in a supporting role
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