The Australian government has introduced a comprehensive national framework governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, granting students across the country access to AI tools, including ChatGPT.
This marks a departure from the previous restriction imposed on ChatGPT’s use in public schools due to concerns over plagiarism and privacy breaches.
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So what has changed, and will using artificial intelligence bring negative consequences or limit learning for our youth?
On today’s The Briefing afternoon episode, we talked to Dr Jason Zagami from Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies to discuss how AI technology would change the teaching and learning process in the future.
Dr Zagami says New South Wales is currently trailing a new AI app called NSWEduChat across state public schools, describing the app as a private, safe, and secure implementation of Generative AI.
Despite the government’s assurance of the app’s safety and privacy features, some parents are concerned about its potential impact on their children’s traditional academic skills.
He believes it may increase students’ ability for critical thinking and nuance new technologies in the classroom, such as calculators, phones, and search engines.
“One of the criticisms of AI has been around the possibility that it would limit student’s critical thinking. They would just regurgitate whatever it produced,” Dr Zagami says.
He says that through proficient teaching guidance, teachers have demonstrated and explored its significant potential to enhance learning.
“They’re going to have to be able to redevelop themselves quite regularly as AI overtakes various professions and be able to learn and leverage the advantages they have to participate in the economies of tomorrow effectively.”
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