January 4, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making a lot of news with sites and services like GPT-3, Open AI, ChatGPT, Lensa, and DALL-E.  These tools can respond to questions, create/alter images, and write phrases or longer statements through the application of AI.  The big questions for schools are how these tools and others are being used by students, could be used by students, or how their use should/will be limited.  

There are many AI tools accepted in schools today.  Students are regularly allowed to use spelling and grammar checkers.  Email, GitHub, and other programs offer predictive text to writers and coders.  Some students arrive at school in self-driving cars.  While these uses are acceptable in most schools, it is important to begin discussions around the AI applications that will be allowed, and what grade levels can use the different platforms.

Machine learning algorithms are able to data-mine large sets of information to make decisions about the text, image, or response being created.  Students are learning to train chatbots in middle schools but are schools offering courses to understand how the algorithms could potentially be harmful?  Futureproof by Kevin Roose offers strategies for thriving during the period of…