Artificial intelligences worry teachers who fear one day being replaced by a robot. What are the limits of using AI in education? Is this technology reliable and effective?
Summary:
- Questionable consequences of using AI in education
- Compromised data privacy and security
- Human learning difficult to replicate
- The limitations of ChatGPT, a generative text AI
Recap
Some arguments suggest that the use of AI in education can lead to a decline in academic standards. Indeed, certain behaviors and consequences raise concerns
Reflection on the Decline of Academic Standards
AI may encourage an overly standardized approach to teaching and assessment, where students' skills and performances are reduced to quantitative measures. This can overlook the diversity of talents, learning styles, and individual interests, resulting in a loss of richness and creativity in education. It may promote learning focused on finding correct answers rather than deeply understanding concepts.
“The recent example of ChatGPT shows us that some institutions have banned it for fear that this tool facilitates cheating and leads to a decline in academic standards, while others have welcomed it in their classrooms as it seemed impossible to fight against these technologies – a lost cause from the start. Both positions have their merits.”
“Should AI be banned in schools?”, Numerama, 03/13/2023.
Generative text AI can facilitate research and the writing of academic papers. However, when students rely solely on responses generated by chatbots or virtual assistants, they lose the opportunity to question, analyze, and develop their own ideas independently.
AI tools can encourage a tendency to prioritize finding answers over deeply understanding concepts.
Finally, the use of generative text AI can lead to uniformity in results and a loss of diversity in artistic, literary, or other productions.
Not all students have equal access to the technologies needed to benefit from AI, which can further widen the digital divide. It is essential to ensure that AI does not reinforce existing inequalities by guaranteeing equitable access to tools and taking measures to close technological gaps.
The use of AI involves collecting and analyzing personal data about students: name, surname, email address, browsing history, learning preferences, academic results...
This raises concerns about the privacy, security, and handling of such data. It is essential to implement data protection measures to ensure that learners' personal information is not compromised.
Users must be informed about what data is collected, how it is used, and have control over their personal information. Privacy policies and informed consent are key aspects to ensure responsible and transparent data collection.
