How to handle AI in schools
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AI is predicted to be one of the largest disruptive changes we will experience in our lifetimes. And while AI can potentially provide enormous benefits, without the widespread adoption of responsible AI practices, it is equally capable of causing harm, and young people and vulnerable users are likely to be disproportionately affected.
AI comes in several forms, from simple automation to social intelligence. Algorithms control what ads we see online, the movement of self-driving cars, and those bots that pop up to answer questions when we're shopping online.
In schools, EdtTch uses adaptive learning, which is a form of AI, and facial recognition also qualifies. But generative AI—like writing tools that can create whole essays based on a simple prompt (like ChatGPT and Gemini)—is a relatively new frontier, especially in classrooms. While predictive text is something we encounter in Google Docs or text messaging, it's pretty novel to have a programme deliver an entire piece of writing based on simple questions or requests. And while its ability to create truly original content isn't that sophisticated just yet, it's still a concern for many teachers.
AI concerns
As technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, it's understandable that we're uneasy about actual and anticipated challenges. Here are some current concerns:
- Misuse - deepfakes are pictures, videos, and audio files that look or sound like someone you know (a celebrity, a political figure, or even a family member). This can also include nude images or pornographic videos generated with AI and without a person's consent. Children are already using so-called "nudifying" apps to generate nude images of classmates.
- Biases and misinformation - AI can only learn from its source(s), so it takes on the biases, misinformation, and problematic content of the original material. And if the team of developers isn't representative, it's almost guaranteed that implicit bias will be woven into the framework of the tool, as facial recognition has illustrated.
- Ethics - because AI tools scrape content from a wide variety of sources, the material produced is a mixture of many other people's work, and there's often no consistent or complete credit for creators. Already, learners are handing in AI-generated essays as their own. Plus, data privacy is a murky and multi-layered issue when it comes to generative AI.
- Environmental impacts - generative AI requires an enormous amount of energy and other resources, including fresh water as a cooling mechanism. In an age when we already have many climate concerns, the growing use of AI only adds to these issues.
What can be done to help learners think critically about AI technologies?
We need to better understand AI's full potential: There are some amazing opportunities for generative AI tools to transform learning for children, families, and educators - but these opportunities (while developing quickly) are mostly nascent and unproven.
We need to mitigate the risks posed by AI: Unlike these potential opportunities, the risks of AI tools for children and schools are very real and are already playing out in communities across the UK and beyond.
We need to ensure the responsible use of AI: Parents and teachers need to ask critical questions about AI tools before using them with children to ensure that the tools are safe and designed with desirable learning outcomes in mind. Here are 5 Tips for Talking to Children About Generative AI.
How to support your learners
New, free, AI literacy lessons
This collection of quick lessons (20 minutes or less!) provide an introduction to AI and help address its social and ethical impacts. Through these lessons, learners will:
- Understand what AI is and how it works
- Consider some of its potential benefits and risks
- Think critically about how we can be responsible and ethical users of AI
AI Unleashed - Webinar
Join Common Sense Education for a free webinar - AI Unleashed - on Thursday 26th September to find out more about these new, free AI Literacy resources for learners aged 10+. Register here.
In this session, we will share brand new lessons that equip UK teachers with the tools they need to practice digital citizenship given the new AI world they are facing. We will also dive into practical examples of AI implementation in educational settings, showcasing how teachers and administrators can strategically leverage AI to enhance the learning experience and learn how to instill ethical considerations in educators, empowering them to teach AI literacy with a strong focus on digital ethics.
New technologies such as generative AI introduce new risks and opportunities for young people, and many of us feel unprepared to support them, however we do not necessarily need to take an entirely new approach. Teaching digital citizenship teaches the core concepts, skills and dispositions needed to thrive in our digital world, and is still the foundation to helping children thrive as consumers, creators, learners and citizens.
Further reading
- New - AI Literacy lessons for learners aged 10+
- Common Sense AI Initiative
- How to Prevent AI Use for Plagiarism
- 5 Tips for Talking to Your Kids About Generative AI (Video)
- ChatGPT and Beyond: How to Handle AI in Schools
- We Need Rules and Ratings to Maximise the Potential of Generative AI for Kids
- Championing Responsible AI for Kids and Families
- AI and Our Kids: Common Sense Considerations and Guidance for Parents, Educators, and Policymakers 2023
- Independent evaluation of Common Sense Education’s free digital citizenship curriculum
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