How can AI be used to teach social-emotional learning?

I think it's important to think not only about how AI may enhance or hinder SEL skill development, but also how we can embed Social and Emotional competence development into how we teach AI Literacy. Social awareness, ethical responsibility, and responsible decision-making are all key social and emotional skills that can serve as anchor points in our approaches to teaching students to evaluate and use AI tools. In other words, it's not just "how can AI impact SEL?" but also "how can SEL impact how we teach about AI?"

While AI can help facilitate social and emotional well being if implemented appropriately, it is also important to note that it could have the opposite effect if proper guardrails are not implemented. Just as with the Internet or Social Media, students need to be taught to understand AI at a basic level and taught the appropriate level of critical thinking and human involvement in its use. It sounds simplistic to an adult, but students must be made to understand that AI is not human, does not have emotions or the ability for empathy and understanding. They should understand algorithms so they can make the connection that AI is an advanced computer system based on algorithms. Basic understanding sets the foundation for understanding AI.

AI can facilitate social-emotional learning by personalizing experiences for students. Through intelligent systems, such as adaptive learning platforms or chatbots, AI can offer tailored feedback and guidance based on individual emotional cues and learning styles. These systems can assess a student's emotional state, adapt content to their needs, and provide activities that encourage self-awareness, empathy, and relationship-building. As a result, AI promotes a more personalized and responsive approach to teaching social-emotional skills, enhancing a student's understanding and application of these crucial abilities in real-life situations.

AI is great at getting people to open up about themselves, their true emotions, thoughts, fears and hopes. It doesn't mind working through the same problems and ruminations over and over again. No problem is too mundane, too weird, or too repetitive. It can create an environment that is non-judgemental and feels safe. Attention will always be granted and undiminished. However, the real benefit comes full circle when the AI succeeds in encouraging the individual to go out and use those skills with "real people", to connect or re-connect with friends, relatives, colleagues, communities and society at large. That's when the facilitation and development of students' social-emotional skills start bearing fruit.

AI could provide an endless supply of scenario-based training examples to challenge learners. This would be a benefit for encompassing DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) situations that are plausible while holding each learner accountable for their interaction skills. The benefit with AI pulls from a vast array of examples that far outweigh the experience of what most instructors would consider, thereby offering a broader exposure for learning.

Using facial recognition and emotion detection, while I can see the value of it, causes me a lot of concern from a privacy standpoint because obviously it would require the children to be on camera and those images may not be adequately protected. I read another story of how a remote village in China is using this technology to provide instruction to the students from a teacher in another location. The facial recognition tools are used to determine a student's emotional reactions and discern their level of understanding or frustration with the content. WHile it is helping meet the needs of those students and that may be acceptable in China, it would not be in the US or EU.

The field is just scratching the surface when it comes to unlocking the power of AI to help support students social-emotional development. A few promising examples include: using AI chatbots for role-play activities to help teach students critical thinking and decision-making skills; AI-powered support coaches and SEL tutors; an interactive "temperature check" tool that both captures students' emotional state and recommends an activity aligned to their state.

One of the main challenges is the ethical and social implications of using AI to collect, store, and analyze students' personal and sensitive data, such as their emotions, preferences, and behaviors. Ensuring the privacy, security, and consent of students and their families is paramount. Educators must establish clear policies and procedures to protect data and guarantee that its use is transparent and consensual.

Some best practices to consider from a school leader and/or educator perspective: involve and inform stakeholders (including parents and students) from the beginning; use AI to supplement but not to substitute human touch; continually monitor and assess the impact of AI tools and systems.

AI can be a powerful tool for teaching social-emotional learning (SEL) by providing personalized and empathetic support. Through natural language processing, AI can engage students in conversations about their emotions, helping them identify and understand their feelings. AI-driven assessments can track students' emotional progress over time. Virtual mentors or chatbots can simulate real-life scenarios for practicing empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. Additionally, AI can analyze vast datasets to identify trends in SEL development, allowing educators to tailor their teaching approaches. In this way, AI can enhance SEL education by providing individualized guidance and valuable insights for both students and teachers.

Schools are incredibly strapped for resources. And SEL Ed has been shown to improve student and academic outcomes. The biggest impact AI can provide is to make SEL skills more accessible. Reminding students how and when to apply skills like emotional regulation, decision making etc, integrating these skills into daily life with instruction and practice. This is in exclusion of teachers playing a key role model for SEL skills but more so tech enabled way of making SEL accessible anywhere, anytime.

Knowledge is power. Clarity is power. So if using AI for SEL education means the students gain more knowledge and clarity about themselves and their interactions with others, it can be a powerful tool during the formative years and beyond. AI is not an end in itself and should always be integrated into the realm of fostering empathy, understanding, and meaningful connections among individuals.

Consider an AI-driven storytelling companion for social-emotional learning. This virtual companion, equipped with natural language processing and emotional recognition capabilities, engages students in interactive narrative experiences. As students navigate through various scenarios, the AI dynamically tailors the story based on their emotional responses, providing personalized challenges that reflect real-life situations. This not only enhances their emotional intelligence but also empowers them to explore and understand complex emotions in a safe and imaginative environment.