Educators Collaborate to Respond to the Rise of ChatGPT and Other AI Chatbots
Recently, the release of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots has brought both excitement and panic to the field of education. In response, educators around the globe have shifted into learning and organizing mode. Education groups, schools, and colleges have teamed up to offer resources for educators and draft policy papers.
TeachAI is among the largest of the recent efforts, a partnership of major education groups such as the National Association of State Boards of Education, National School Boards Association, Code.org, and other education ministries. Tech companies building AI tools such as Amazon, Microsoft, and OpenAI are also partners of TeachAI. The group plans to produce reports and guidelines for using AI in education, make policy recommendations for incorporating AI in the school curriculum, and establish a global framework that includes AI.
The Center of the Trend: ChatGPT
ChatGPT is the fastest-growing app of all time, seeing more than 100 million users since its release in November. However, many educators expressed concern because students were using the tool to do their homework for them in ways that are difficult to detect. Even some instructors with concerns still see promise for AI technology as an aid to education.
Many experts predict that chatbots will likely become part of the workplace of the future, so students should learn about them.
Efforts by Educators
Some compare the level of self-organizing and resource sharing around AI to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when educators shifted to remote teaching because of the sudden shuttering of school and college buildings for health reasons.
Efforts announced by educators in recent weeks include:
- Conferences and teach-outs
- Resource guides
- Adopting tools that detect student work written by chatbots
- Using AI to help with routine tasks
The Challenge of Reshaping Education for the Age of AI
Some educators focus on handling day-to-day challenges of teaching in the face of new AI tools. Others see the new AI as a spark for a wider change in how they think about teaching and assessing student work. However, the challenge of reshaping the education system to accommodate AI tools is enormous. According to Hadi Partovi from Code.org, reshaping education for the age of AI means changing the curriculum, grading systems, learning objectives, teaching methods, and the purpose of education itself.
It is important to start talking about these changes as a group effort. TeachAI, for instance, makes a significant contribution of education groups and tech companies building AI tools. The group effort paves the way for more future collaborations.
