Following the recent article on AI, in which our Principal shared her thoughts on the technology’s impact in schools, the INSIGHTS team has delved further into some of the challenges and concerns that parents and academic staff now have over AI use by students across the world.

Zofia Niemtus’ article ‘The Generative Generation’ – shares some genuine concerns related to how much students may be ‘cheating’ by utilising AI tools in the same way children of past generations may have copied a friend’s homework, or had someone else complete it for them. (Click 'Read More' to read the original article)

The fear is real, especially considering that 90% of staff at the Center for Democracy and Technology raised suspicions that AI was being used by students to complete assignments. Dr Geddes of BIS Kuala Lumpur is perhaps, therefore, a little naïve in his hopes that children will simply understand that getting AI to do homework is the same as having a friend do it. The truth is that AI is instant – no waiting for someone else to create it; and students, perhaps also naively, think that it is undetectable by teaching staff, making it much more tempting.

Every new generation has become smarter and savvier with technology and understanding how it can make life easier for them, and AI is no different.  The article rightly highlights the advent of the word processor, which helped to refine mistakes through editing and corrective functions.  It also mentions the significantly positive impact of having search engines that bring us information instantly, without the need for expensive encyclopedias or journeys to the library.

These significant developments are now celebrated the world over as milestone inventions and great technological leaps forward, but fear mongers have existed and commented on most advances we’ve seen, including Clifford Stoll’s (in)famous decrying of the internet1 in 1995 and how he felt it would inevitably fail.  Notably, he thought that daily newspapers would never be replaced by online versions, that we’d never be able to take the internet with us to places like the beach, and that crowdsourcing sites like Wikipedia would result in a ‘wasteland of unfiltered data.’

In this final respect, he may not be wrong. Almost 30 years later, AI systems are now shown to be susceptible to bias within the data and instructions used to train them, as demonstrated by Google’s recent embarrassing Gemini launch2. This could result in AI either generating results that are inaccurate or results that will show skewed perspectives. In this respect, this leads to the acknowledgment of how crucial critical thinking skills are. AI should be used as one tool in the teaching and learning box, a starting point for further investigation of the matter, using other sources. In this way, although clearly we are seeing some huge steps forward in the way the internet and AI is changing everyday life, it is just one reference point and cannot be used to reinforce any disparities of educational outcomes and opportunities for students. 

So where does NAIS Pudong take its stance? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t easy. We undoubtedly embrace technology in our school and agree that it is vital for our students to remain at the forefront of understanding this technology and how it can benefit us.  We will embrace AI where we can see clear advantages for our students, but will also remain alert to the challenges ahead and monitor areas in which we foresee issues.  Specifically:

We need to be sure that students do not develop an over-reliance on AI.  

If they become overly dependent on AI for completing tasks and assignments, it could hinder the development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and creativity. Relying too heavily on AI may lead to a passive learning experience, where students simply follow instructions without actively engaging with relevant materials.

Everyone in school must be aware of privacy and data security issues.  

AI technologies often rely on collecting and analysing large amounts of data, raising concerns about privacy and data security. If sensitive student information is not properly protected, it could be vulnerable to misuse or unauthorised access, leading to potential harm to students' academic and personal well-being.

As alluded to earlier, we all need to be alert to algorithmic bias and discrimination.  

AI systems are susceptible to biases present in the data used to train them, which could result in unfair treatment or discrimination against certain groups of students. If AI algorithms perpetuate existing inequalities or reinforce stereotypes, it could exacerbate disparities in educational outcomes and opportunities.

Critically, especially in the area of wellbeing, we shouldn’t allow any sense of a replacement of human interaction.  

While AI can enhance certain aspects of education, such as personalised learning and adaptive feedback, it cannot fully replace the value of human interaction and mentorship. Over-reliance on AI may lead to a loss of meaningful teacher-student relationships and social-emotional learning opportunities, which are essential for holistic development.

And finally, in the spirit of our alertness to UNICEF’s Strategic Development Goals, we need to remain alert to a digital divide.  

Access to AI technologies and digital resources is not uniform across all schools and communities. The digital divide exacerbates existing inequalities in education, with students from under-served or marginalised backgrounds facing barriers to accessing and benefiting from AI-powered tools and resources.

Addressing these potential issues requires careful consideration of ethical, social, and pedagogical implications, as well as robust safeguards to mitigate risks and ensure equitable access and outcomes for all students. Collaboration among educators, policymakers, technologists, and stakeholders is essential to navigate the complexities of AI integration in education responsibly and ethically, and we can assure you that NAIS Pudong and Nord Anglia Education will remain at the forefront of development in this respect.

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在最近一篇关于人工智能的文章中，我们的校长分享了她对该技术在学校中的影响的看法，随后，INSIGHTS 团队进一步深入研究了家长和教职员工目前对全球学生使用人工智能所面临的一些挑战和担忧。

佐菲娅-尼姆图斯（Zofia Niemtus）的文章 《生成的一代》（The Generative Generation）表达了对学生利用人工智能工具 "作弊 "的担忧，就像上一代孩子抄袭朋友的作业或让别人代为完成作业一样。（点击下方“阅读原文”获取文章）

这种担心非常真实，特别是考虑到民主与技术中心90%的员工怀疑学生会在完成作业时使用人工智能。这也是为什么吉隆坡国际商务学院的盖德斯博士可能有点“天真”，他认为孩子们只是觉得让人工智能来做作业就像让朋友来做一样。事实上，人工智能是即时的，不需要等待别人来创造它；而学生们也许也很天真地认为它无法被教学人员检测到，这让它更加诱人。

每一代人都变得越来越聪明，越来越懂得如何利用技术让生活变得更轻松，人工智能也不例外。文章中强调了文字处理器的出现，它通过编辑和纠正功能帮助完善错误。文章还提到了搜索引擎带来的巨大积极影响，它能即时为我们提供信息，而无需购买昂贵的百科全书或前往图书馆。

如今，这些重大发展作为里程碑式的发明和伟大的技术飞跃在全世界广为传颂，但恐惧论者却一直存在，并对我们所看到的大多数进步发表评论，其中包括克利福德-斯托尔（Clifford Stoll）在 1995 年对互联网的著名抨击1，他认为互联网的失败是不可避免的。值得注意的是，他认为日报永远不会被网络版取代，我们永远无法带着互联网去海滩等地方，维基百科等网站会成为“未经过滤的数据的荒地”。

在这一点上，他可能并没有错。近 30 年后的今天，人工智能系统已被证明很容易受到用于训练它们的数据和指令的影响，近期谷歌Gemini的失败2就证明了这一点。这让我们认识到批判性思维能力的重要性。人工智能应该被用作教学和学习工具中的一个工具，一个使用更多的方式进一步调查问题的起点。尽管通过这种方式我们看到了互联网和人工智能如何改变日常生活的巨大进步，但它仅仅只能作为参考，不能用来加强学生教育。

那么，NAIS Pudong的立场是什么呢？显然，答案并不简单。毋庸置疑，我们的学校非常乐意接受使用科技，我们也认为让我们的学生站在科技发展的最前沿，了解科技如何为我们带来益处很重要。如果我们能看到人工智能对学生带来明显的优势，我们会试着接受人工智能，但同时也不会放松警惕，会对我们预见到问题的领域进行监控。特别是以下几个方面：

我们需要确保学生不会过度依赖人工智能。

如果他们过度依赖人工智能来完成任务和作业，可能会阻碍批判性思维能力、解决问题能力和创造力的发展。过于依赖人工智能可能会导致学习变得被动，即学生只是盲目地听从指令，而不主动探索相关材料。

学校里的每个人都必须意识到隐私和数据安全问题。

人工智能技术通常依赖于收集和分析大量数据，从而引发了对隐私和数据安全的担忧。如果学生的敏感信息没有得到妥善保护，就很容易被未经授权的访问或滥用，从而对学生的学业和幸福感造成潜在伤害。

如上所述，我们也需要警惕算法偏见和歧视。

人工智能系统容易受到用于训练它们的数据中存在的差异的影响，这可能导致对某些学生群体的不公平待遇或歧视。如果人工智能算法延续现有的不平等或强化陈规定型观念，可能会加剧教育成果和机会方面的差距。

至关重要的是，特别是在有关幸福的方面，我们不应该让AI有任何取代人类互动的感觉。

虽然人工智能可以增强教育的某些方面，如个性化学习和自适应反馈，但它不能完全取代人与人之间的互动。过度依赖人工智能可能会导致失去原有的师生关系和社会情感的学习机会，而这些对于全面发展至关重要。

最后，本着对联合国儿童基金会战略发展目标保持关注的精神，我们需要对数字鸿沟保持警惕。 

并非所有学校和社区都能获得人工智能技术和数字资源。数字鸿沟加剧了教育中现有的不平等，来自被忽视或边缘化背景的学生在获取和受益于人工智能工具和资源方面可能会面临障碍。

要解决这些潜在的问题，就必须认真考虑伦理、社会和教学方面的影响，并采取强有力的保障措施来降低风险，确保所有学生都能公平地获取信息并取得成果。教育工作者、政策制定者、技术专家和利益相关者之间的合作对于以负责任和合乎道德的方式应对人工智能融入教育也至关重要。

Reference:

1: https://www.newsweek.com/clifford-stoll-why-web-wont-be-nirvana-185306

2: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/google-gemini-bias-fiasco-reminds-210626203.html