AI for Educators: Starting Guide

Over the past year or so, I have immersed myself in the world of AI and embarked on an exciting journey of discovery. Along the way, I have gained a wealth of knowledge about AI, GenAI, ED-AI, and more.

The goal of the "AI in Harmony: New ED Frontier" newsletter is to demystify AI for educators, enabling everyone to enter the discussion.

This article aims to answer questions you may have when you decide to start learning about AI and it's relationship to education.

The questions I will pose and answer could be separated into these four categories:

1. The basics of GenAI and its relation to education
2. Controversies around generative AI and their implications for education
3. Regulating the use of generative AI in education
4. Facilitating creative use of generative AI in education

Let’s start with some basics.

The basics of GenAI and its relation to education

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content. Think of it like a highly imaginative artist or writer. It can generate text, images, music, and even videos that didn't exist before. It learns from a lot of existing data, like books, photos, or music, to understand how to create these new pieces.

An interesting fact is that early predictions before the AI boom suggested that AI would initially take on non-creative roles, excluding creative writing and multimedia creation. However, the opposite actually occurred. This serves as a statement about the difficulty of predicting the future development of AI technologies.

How does it work?

Generative AI works by analyzing a huge amount of data and learning patterns and styles from it. It's like how a chef learns to cook by trying lots of recipes and then inventing their own dish.

The AI uses algorithms, which are sets of rules and instructions, to generate new content that is similar in style or content to what it has learned. This process is often based on trial and error, refining its creations each time to make them better.

?? What are the potential benefits of using generative AI in education?

• Creativity and Engagement: It can create interactive and engaging learning materials, like customized storybooks or educational games.
• Personalization: It can tailor educational content to fit each student's learning style and pace.
• Assistance: It can help teachers by generating test questions, writing prompts, or even giving feedback on student work.
• Accessibility: It can create educational content in multiple languages or formats, making learning more accessible to different students.

?? What are the potential risks of using generative AI in education?

• Accuracy Issues: Sometimes, the content generated might be incorrect or misleading.
• Dependence: Over-reliance on AI for content generation could reduce the development of critical thinking and creativity in students.
• Privacy and Data Security: Using AI often involves processing large amounts of data, which can raise concerns about student privacy and data security.
• Bias: If the AI learns from biased data, it can create biased content, which can influence students in negative ways.

The risk side should be considered very seriously with the implementation of AI technology in education. Some schools are already having a lot of issues with students safety and privacy. Read article #2 at the bottom to find out more.

Controversies around generative AI and their implications for education

The output of a text GenAI can look impressively human-like, but it does not understand anything

If you start exploring AI through reading, watching YouTube, or TED Talks, you will quickly discover that many people mention the Chinese room experiment. It is a pretty interesting procedure that you should be aware of when discussing the actual understanding of AI text-generative models.

Here is a brief explanation of the procedure:

The Chinese room experiment is a thought experiment that challenges the notion of true understanding in artificial intelligence. In this experiment, a person who doesn't understand Chinese is placed inside a room with a set of instructions written in English on how to respond to Chinese symbols. The person receives Chinese symbols from outside the room, follows the instructions to manipulate them, and produces appropriate responses in Chinese without actually understanding the content.

The experiment raises questions about whether AI systems can truly comprehend language or if they are simply executing predefined rules without true understanding.

GenAI models can be biased

The data that is used to train these models often comes from the internet and social media, which can be biased for or against certain groups of people. This can lead to GenAI models repeating harmful stereotypes or making inaccurate generalizations about people.

GenAI models can be used to create deep fakes, which are manipulated or falsified images or videos that are difficult to distinguish from real ones.

Deep fakes can be used for malicious purposes, such as spreading disinformation or propaganda, or for more harmless purposes, such as entertainment.

GenAI models can be used to generate spam and other harmful content.

Spam is unsolicited and often irrelevant content that is sent in bulk to multiple recipients. It can be used to spread malware or other malicious content or simply to annoy people. Other harmful content that can be generated by GenAI models includes hate speech, fake news, and other forms of misinformation.

Regulating the use of generative AI in education

To ensure responsible and effective use of this technology, a comprehensive and balanced regulatory approach is crucial. Here are some suggestions for such an approach:

Focus on principles

• Safety and Security: AI systems should be designed and operated to protect student data, prevent bias and discrimination, and mitigate potential risks like cyberattacks.
• Transparency and Explainability: Students, parents, and educators should understand how AI systems function and the decisions they make. Algorithms and data sources should be transparent whenever possible.
• Fairness and Equity: AI should not perpetuate or exacerbate existing inequalities. Access to AI-powered learning resources and tools should be equitable for all students, regardless of background or ability.
• Accountability and Governance: Clear lines of responsibility and accountability should be established for the development, deployment, and use of AI in education. Adequate oversight mechanisms should be implemented to ensure adherence to ethical and regulatory principles.
• Contestability and Redress: Students and educators should have mechanisms to challenge biased or unfair decisions made by AI systems and seek redress if needed.

Foster collaboration and innovation:

• Encourage collaboration between government, industry, academia, and civil society to develop and implement effective AI regulations for education.
• Create regulatory sandboxes and innovation labs to test and pilot new AI education tools in a controlled environment.

Invest in Research and Development:

• Fund research on the potential benefits and risks of AI in education, including long-term impact studies.
• Develop educational resources and training programs for educators and students on responsible AI use and ethical considerations.

The Human Touch in AI-powered Education: Prioritizing Human Agency and Pedagogically Appropriate Interaction

Educators and researchers need to carefully consider the "human-centered and pedagogically appropriate interaction" approach when integrating GenAI into their practices. This approach emphasizes that:

• GenAI should be a tool for human flourishing, not a replacement for human interaction. The focus should always be on empowering human potential and fostering deeper understanding, not simply automating tasks or replacing teachers.
• GenAI should be used in ways that are aligned with sound pedagogical principles. This means ensuring that the use of GenAI contributes to meaningful learning outcomes and supports the development of essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
• GenAI should be employed in ways that promote human agency and ownership of the learning process. Students should not be passive consumers of AI-generated content but actively engaged participants in the learning journey. They should be able to question, critique, and shape the AI outputs to enhance their understanding and build their own knowledge.

Here are some specific ways that educators can prioritize human agency and responsible interaction with GenAI:

• Using GenAI as a co-creation tool: Encourage students to use GenAI to generate creative text formats, code, scripts, and other materials to collaboratively build and explore concepts.
• Facilitating discussions on AI-generated content: Encourage students to critically evaluate the outputs of AI models, analyze potential biases, and discuss the ethical implications of using such technologies.
• Designing AI-powered learning activities that require human input and intervention: Create tasks that require students to apply their own knowledge, skills, and creativity to solve problems or complete projects that utilize AI tools.
• Providing clear guidelines and expectations for using AI in the classroom: Establish clear expectations for students regarding the responsible use of AI, including data privacy, academic integrity, and responsible communication.

Conclusion

ChatGPT recently celebrated its first birthday, and the past year has been an exciting journey for those who have been following the news and advancements in this field on a daily basis. However, it is still in the early stages of development, and there is much more to come. If you're interested in exploring this exciting field of technology, which has the potential to revolutionize education in ways we can't even imagine yet, now is the perfect time to get started.

By finishing this article, you now have a solid foundation and understanding of the fundamentals of AI technology and its relationship to education.

Thank you for reading, and make sure to follow the AI in Harmony: New ED Frontier newsletter for curated information and updates on AI development and its impact on education.

I am eager to hear your impressions on the topic, and if you have any additional questions or suggestions, write them in the comment below.

Additional Reading:

1. Math Education with Large Language Models: Peril or Promise?
2. Deepfake nude images of teen girls prompt action from parents, lawmakers: "AI pandemic"
3. AI in Education - UNESCO