Welcome to this final post in the Getting to Know AI series. You can find the previous posts here:
We will be discussing concerns and considerations that should be addressed with students as they are learning about the use and implications of AI. We will begin this discussion with misinformation and "fake news". When I was growing up, my mom would always tell me, "Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you can see." With the advent of Generative AI tools that create images, audio, and video that look and sound completely realistic, this phrase is no longer valid. At this point, it is our responsibility as citizens to do our due diligence and verify EVERYTHING using reputable sources. Just another quick note here, anything source that identifies itself as "entertainment news" is not credible. Deep fakes are a huge concern, especially this year when we are entering another election cycle. We must be diligent and call out anything we see and hear that we know to be false.
Another risk to using AI is the danger of perpetuating societal biases. AI works by predicting patterns based on vast amounts of data. All of that data was created by humans; humans by default have biases, whether their conscious or not. That is why is it so important that we question all outputs we receive from AI. Think about what perspectives might be left out, are there people that this information would be damaging to, and if you have access to the data that was used to give the response, you should question what biases might be present in that data. It is always good practice when working with AI to evaluated the outputs. Most AI has a thumbs up or thumbs down button that will allow you to give quick feedback. If you feel like something is biased, give it a thumbs down then explain why. There is a new bias detection tool that you may want to give a try.
A thjrd concern about the use of AI involves personal and data privacy. AI companies are getting better at explicitly sharing how costumer input data is being used, but that leaves us relying on the word of a big company. This is why it is so important to never share any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) with AI. Never share a student's full name, ID number, address, etc...or your own. When using AI to analyze student data, it's best practice to code your students with a system that only makes sense to you (alphabetized list, numbered 1 - 24, for example). It is good to keep in mind that all privacy laws in effect for our schools apply to the use of AI (FERPA, COPPA, CIPA, HIPPA, etc.). Although there are lots of cool tools out there that do really fabulous stuff, the vast majority of data breeches come from 3rd party vendors. So, it's good practice to stick with the most common and popular AI tools, and always follow your school or district policies concerning 3rd party vendors.
The final concern I want to address is over reliance on AI tools. If you're wondering why I'm not talking about academic integrity, I covered that in my last post. ☺️ There are concerns that as a society there will develop an over reliance on AI use and we'll lose the ability to think critically and creatively. This could potentially be a valid concern since neural pathways in our brain that aren't utilized atrophy and then die. So, it's a good idea to ask yourself, "what is the purpose of this use of AI"? If the reason is laziness or avoidance, you may want to consider skipping AI.
Now that we've gotten all the scary stuff out of the way, let's talk about the rewards of partnering with AI. As educators short on time, but with long "To Do" lists, AI can be a huge time saver. In minutes, you can differentiate and personalize lessons, materials, and assessments to meet the diverse needs of your students. You can quickly design assessments, and the AI will even make them for you! AI can help you design and facilitate workflows and systems that will make you much more effective and efficient, not to mention you can get inspiration and ideas when you're experiencing decision fatigue. As for rewards for your students, AI tools gives students immediate access to personal tutors and assistance, feedback, and it helps remove barriers for individuals with disabilities. It is my opinion that the benefits of AI far outweigh the risks, if we take responsibility for using it ethically and responsibly.
I would love to hear you thoughts about the risks and rewards of using AI, either personally or with your students. Feel free to leave a comment below, and if you missed any of the previous AI posts, you can view them using the links at the beginning of this post.
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AI Disclaimer: Blog post title and images created in collaboration with ChatGPT.
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