In this stage of our inquiry on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, Tabarek and I looked deeper into the results of a study on AI use in the schooling system. In inquiry 1 we briefly looked at an article, Unveiling the Shadows Beyond the hype of AI in Education, which presents the findings of a study that clearly shows a range of negative outcomes with AI and education. We will be providing the findings of the study along with our personal assessment of possible repercussions of each situation.

In Unveiling the shadows: Beyond the hype of AI in education, Al-Zahrani (2024) provides the findings of a large study on AI use in education. Here are the critical findings that the study found and what we think may be potential repercussions that could follow:

Loss of human connection:

“AI’s impact on personal ties between students and educators is cause for worry” because it may lead to students feeling a reduction in their sense of support and emotional connections. It also reduces personalization and individual attention in the learning experience. 

Potential Repercussions: Personalization is all about individuality and having a specific way that you learn individually. A lack of this may lead to the learner missing out on key parts on finding their identity and building skills. If the learner is always using ChatGPT’s answers and using AI as a basis of completing work, how are they going to learn what works for them when on their own. It is important for a student to know their strengths, for example, problem solving. Outside of school when there are real world problems infront of them, ChatGPT will not know everything about the situation. For example if the student was at work, and they had to resolve a conflict between two coworkers, they may be better equipped to solve the issue if they had grown their problem solving skills. In this situation they could not just add the problem into ChatGPT without giving it extreme detail and context, which even at that point would still not be the same as if the student had the skill themselves.

Reduced critical thinking and creativity: 

AI systems provide predefined answers which can prevent students from engaging in critical analysis or creative expression. This can reduce innovation and original thought.

Potential Repercussions: By using AI students may be missing out on building and strengthening key skills with creativity and critical analysis. This can lead to a lack of variety and fun in their future as they may have a reduced ability to find happiness in things. It also will affect their ability to problem solve and draw conclusions from things if they can’t find key pieces of information that they had previously been relying on ChatGPT for.

Unequal access and technological divide: 

AI poses the risk of widening gaps in education opportunities because of uneven access to advanced technologies.

Potential Repercussions: This unequal access can enhance disparities for different demographics as geographical location and socioeconomic status play a role in the ability to access artificial intelligence technologies. This can further expand the gap between the rich and poor, and the privileged and non privileged people/societies.

Teacher professional development and role:

Ongoing training and development for teachers is suggested to help adapt and skillfully integrate AI into their teaching. This can help keep the critical role that teachers play in steering student learning.

Potential Repercussions: Teachers have their own journey in the education system as well. With the fast and rapidly growing implementation of AI into the school system, there is a lot of adjusting and learning that has to be done by the teachers themselves. If teachers are successfully trained and informed on these technologies, and can implement them effectively, they can find a way to continue to be involved in the learning process, while still using artificial intelligence. For example, if a teacher includes a part of an assignment to be completed by the use of AI, then they will be involved and aware of its use and therefore involved in the learning process.

References

Al-Zahrani, A. M. (2024). Unveiling the shadows: Beyond the hype of AI in Education. Heliyon, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30696