We need to use artificial intelligence to open opportunities for teachers and their ākonga - not foreclose them

Teaching our ākonga how to manage the use of AI in their educational lives - it's likely none of us saw that coming on our 2024 bingo cards.

Luckily this is a conversation that is not going away quickly, even if there are more questions than answers at this stage.

At the 2024 Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU) some of these important questions were raised: for example, in designing AI tools, which of them will become useful for society? Which will become a hindrance? What will education really look like in 100 years' time?

Rick Whalley attended CSEDU this year and found that there is still a strong argument for human-centric educational pedagogy despite the opposing push toward "AI-as-teacher" models.

That is, that education needs to be socialised and needs to be human, nuanced and highly relatable.

Whilst there are little or no controls over the ability for AI to make decisions for humans, there is real concern about how far this can go, according to the researchers who presented at conference.

Further down the track, how would AI impact a human's cognitive ability to think critically, and engage in high-level thinking?

Elsewhere at CSEDU, discussion of the arrival of "robots" highlighted further the idea of 'design for humanity' but also a critique of how bots are used to coerce human interaction on a daily basis.

For example, AI is initially positioned to draw a user in through seductive means: optimising apps for engagement is one tool (notifications, friendly nudges). The app then becomes an essential part of our life - we depend on it. Robots are made to look cute so that we interact with them, or, they are set to do tasks that amuse us such deliver our meals, or they are useful and expedite tedious tasks like our vacuuming. In these scenarios, AI is benevolent and compliant. A human needs to turn them on and off.

When the AI continues to learn, this is where educators need to be alert.

WATCH: CSEDU sessions on Vimeo

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