Welcome to the exciting era, the 21st century, where cutting-edge technology is transforming the way we teach and learn! In this digital era, one innovation stands out so effortlessly, AI. Specifically, generative AI. Generative Artificial Intelligence is simply artificial intelligence that can generate text, images and other media in an almost likewise way to human-form. ‘Generative AI models learn the patterns and structure of the input data and then generate new data that has similar characteristics’ (Wikipedia, 2023). This basically means that it has the ability to replicate the ‘human-like’ input data and create something in a human-style. From personalised learning experiences to grading systems, generative AI is revolutionising the educational landscape!
In this blog, we will delve into the possibilities, risks and reasons why generative AI should be used within schools.
Generative AI is beginning to become the role of educator, but this doesn’t have to be scary! Generative AI can help towards the issue of teacher burnout, which is often caused by lack of support and heavy workload which can have a negative affect on student’s (Robbins, 2023). Many required resources can be accessed online through AI which also helps us lead towards a paperless environment! (save the trees!)
How can it help, you ask? Well…
- AI systems can adapt to and generate educational content and resources for individual learner’s needs.
- AI algorithms can grade assignments with great efficiency, giving immediate feedback to students and also contributing to taking a weight of the teacher.
- AI virtual tutors can help out students with any ‘burning questions’ and give an immediate response, if this is out of school hours it enables teachers to practise a better work/life balance.
- AI can also assist in generating educational content, resources and lesson plans.
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!
EVEN THE GOVERNMENT UNDERSTAND!
In order for the use of generative AI to be pushed across the country, of course the government need to be on board! The government hold the role of providing reliable, safe and trusted advice (in theory they should anyway), so of course we can only believe something is safe if the government encourage it’s use, well they have!
Education secretary Gillian Keegan has explained that AI is ‘going to transform the world’ and ‘education shouldn’t be left behind’ ‘for the potential to be realised, the government, schools and colleges need to be able to understand those opportunities as well as risks’ (Department for Education, 2023)
Now, I think what Gillian is saying is that the education sector shouldn’t be falling behind whilst everyone else is beginning to welcome and accept generative AI (it’s even a tiktok trend!)
Generative AI has already been introduced in libraries, healthcare and education (Su and Yang, 2023) and according to research, AI can help with students literacy in AI meaning they can critically analyse AI and understand and use it (Su and Yang, 2023), which , in this ever-changing technological world, will be needed.
However, Gillian is also saying we need to understand the risks. Opportunities for generative AI are endless, but this could be dangerous in schools. One concern with generative AI is the lack of accountability and responsibility without regulation. Basically, it’s hard to blame someone for the output of the AI due to it learning human patterns but with little regulation it can be dangerous in schools.
According to UNICEF, a major concern with generative-AI is the subsceptibilty to misinformation. AI can instantly create generated text in an indistinguishable writing style similar to humans, so basically its easily believable information when it could be wrong or biased. Also we are beginning to see ‘synthetic content’, aka, ‘deepfake’ content where AI can replicate someone’s else’s face and voice (Vosloo, 2023), or more concerning, pretending to be someone else.
This lets out a huge amount of worries for teachers, carers and parents and a major safeguarding issue. The use of generative AI in learning environment must be regulated and supervised and have protection from explicit or inappropriate images, texts or information in order to keep learners safe, I believe that with the right regulation, this would be an amazing resource in schools!
MOVING ON TO ACCESSIBILITY
Now, thinking about accessibility… wait! What is accessibility? It is the quality of being easy to obtain or use. Accessibility is one of those things that all ‘usable things’ require to be able to even have a use, some people require things to be more accessible than others, for example; the elderly, those with a disability (visible/invisible). Accessibility provides inclusivity which is an absolute neccessity within education, the workplace, at home, everywhere! According to the Harvard Business Review, around 386 million working people have a disability and unemployment has reached 80% of people with disabilities. Generative AI can help with this issue, it can help people with finding jobs that maybe they couldn’t find on their own. For example, OurAbility provides an AI-powered platform that utilizes chatbot technology to assist unemployed individuals in finding and securing employment opportunities.
Now, according to the Harvard Business Review, in order to make this work, to make websites and online resources more accessible, we must begin with those who are creating these generative AI models and increase their knowledge of inclusivity and accessibility. Then, we can start to see a change with for example, keyboard navigation, changes in text (audio option), text/image to speech, all different multimodal options that are required for generative AI to become more accessible and have better usability within schools.
TO CONCLUDE
Obviously, we can see dangers to generative AI and risks, however don’t all online resources pose some sort of risk and danger? All that matters is the usability, as long as the user is not taking advantage of the opportunities of generative AI then it proves to be an amazing resource for schools. With the correct monitoring, supervision and training surrounding generative AI, it’s integration into schools portrays a transformative jump into the way we learn and teach through empowering educators with personalised resources to engage student and also providing creativity and critical thinking.
Furthermore, the use of generative AI in schools will help to prepare students for the tech-driven, dynamic world post-school world. This then leads to increased digital literacy and also problem-solving skills through gaining a better knowledge of the technological world.
As we begin to welcome generative AI in schools as a resource, we are unlocking a world of inclusive and innovative learning opportunities that have the potential to shape a brighter future for the next generation.
So, do what do you think?
Reference list
Burgess, M. (2023). 90s AI Yearbook trend takes over TikTok – how to try it. [online] Mail Online. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12597957/This-90s-AI-Yearbook-trend-taking-TikTok-heres-photos-retro-treatment.html [Accessed 22 Oct. 2023].
Cuban, L. (2023). Cartoons about A. I. Use in Families and Schools. [online] Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice. Available at: https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2023/09/29/cartoons-about-a-i-use-in-families-and-schools/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2023].
Department for Education (2023). New drive to better understand the role of AI in education. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-drive-to-better-understand-the-role-of-ai-in-education.
GOV.UK. (n.d.). The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/people/gillian-keegan.
Henneborn, L. (2023). Designing Generative AI to Work for People with Disabilities. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2023/08/designing-generative-ai-to-work-for-people-with-disabilities.
Robbins, A. (2023). Teachers Aren’t Burnt Out. They Are Being Set Up to Fail. Education Week. [online] 5 May. Available at: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-teachers-arent-burnt-out-they-are-being-set-up-to-fail/2023/05.
Su, J. and Yang, W. (2023). Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT: A Framework for Applying Generative AI in Education. ECNU Review of Education, 6(3), p.209653112311684. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311231168423.
Vosloo, S. (2023). Generative AI: Risks and Opportunities for Children S N A P S H O T. [online] Available at: https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/media/3061/file#:~:text=Persuasive%20disinformation%20and%20harmful%20and [Accessed 16 Oct. 2023].
Wach, K., Duong, C.D., Ejdys, J., Kazlauskaitė, R., Korzynski, P., Mazurek, G., Paliszkiewicz, J. and Ziemba, E., 2023. The dark side of generative artificial intelligence: A critical analysis of controversies and risks of ChatGPT. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 11(2), pp.7-24.
Wikipedia. (2023). Generative artificial intelligence. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence.
The Educationist 
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