Lagunitas Community School by Steve Rebscher
greater disparity as the use of computer based learning increases. • Bias. All AI systems have been “trained” using
Crossroads: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Lagunitas Schools
the worldwide compilation of human knowledge found in books, research papers, magazines, newspapers, images and video. Thus, the foundation of AI is biased toward the creators and focus of that data. In the western world that equates to centuries of majority white educated writers, thinkers and research- ers. This has created an inherent bias toward the use of language, grammar, thought sequence and understanding of reality and “facts” in all AI systems toward the data from which the systems were trained. • Plagiarism and cheating is a major concern as we redefine academic integrity and workplace integrity in the world of AI. The responsibility of measuring honesty and detecting cheating will fall primarily on teachers who must be supported in those efforts. • Reduced human interaction and social learning. Social emotional learning and respectful communication are essential elements in our classrooms that hold a high priority in the Lagunitas School District. Maintaining these priorities will be a challenge for all schools. • Cost of AI systems, increased internet capability, hardware and staff training will strain the budgets of many school districts. As discussed above, the most frequently raised concerns for AI in our schools focus on privacy, equity and loss of social interaction. Here is another concern: Our primary educational goal in the San Geronimo Valley for more than 50 years has been to balance the roles of family input, developing a passion for lifelong individualized learning and fostering critical thinking while emphasizing emotion- al learning and social interaction. Creativity is our greatest resource. If all AI algorithms “learn” from the same data set there is little question that they will generate substantially similar responses to a given query. Although AI pro- grams intentionally insert randomness and context into their responses the under- lying architecture of AI may lead to a homogeneity of perspective that strikes at the core goals of the academic process – to produce a wide range of opinions, diversity of thought and a range of solutions to any problem. Additionally, there should be greater concern that generative AI programs may not approach queries from a balanced viewpoint, i.e. that niche AI programs will be developed to cater to specific viewpoints. Consider the influence of an AI pro- gram as an offshoot of the Truth Social network or specific generative AI programs sponsored by individual religious organizations. If the political or cultural perspec- tive of these programs is skewed our collective mindset can be shifted and our political landscape can be altered dramatically. This effect is clear in social media and is well documented in the book Mind F*ck (Christopher Wylie, 2019) which details how deliberate manipulation of social media was effectively used to alter the course of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The danger of deeply integrating these systems into our schools that may minimize diverse inquiry and, at the same time are open to coercion, is unmistakable. Last, it will be essential to prepare students to operate in a world where AI will be used for many, if not most, of our daily functions but retain the ability to func- tion without AI when needed. Students must be able to write and present ideas in a group totally free of technology. There are many more benefits and challenges to the successful use of AI in educa- tion than can be presented in this article. Clearly, our community will need to play an active role in how our local schools use this technology. In the next Stone Soup I will look at how our district is currently using AI and working to control the challenges it presents. Note: I want to thank Al Weiler of Lagunitas for his thoughtful edit of this article and meaningful suggestions. Al is a retired teacher, content developer and current board member of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) currently affects every person in our community, often in unseen ways. Using investment and government funding as a metric AI accounted for more than a trillion dollars of spending in 2014-2024, then grew by almost 50% in that year alone. In October, Nvidia, the largest manufacturer of computer chips designed specifically for AI, became the first company in history to be valued at more than 5 trillion dollars. In our everyday lives AI is now used in GPS mapping, weather forecasting, language translation, manufacturing, our online searches and our medical care; countless computer driven functions that we interact with every day. Information stored in huge data centers around the world, and the computer servers driving the intensive computation needed to generate searches, text, imaging and video consume vast amounts of energy and water. As examples, 22% of the electricity used in Ireland is supplied to data centers and it has been reported that small rural communities surrounding Mexico City are fre- quently deprived of water and electricity as a result of nearby data centers serving worldwide markets. Last month, Amazon reported that they will lay off 14,000 workers due mostly to increased efficiency achieved through the use of AI. The use of AI in education encompasses many potential benefits. A broad over- view of these benefits, and recognized pitfalls, are presented in “AI and the future of Teaching and Learning” (U.S. Dept. of Ed., 2023) and “Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Data in Teaching and Learning for Educators” (European Commission, 2022). The European Union was the first to pass comprehensive legislation controlling the use of AI in education and protect- ing privacy for students. Clearly, the momentum of AI in the business sector has begun to carry over to education. Multiple reports emphasize that the emergence of AI will dramatically affect how children will be educated, how teachers will teach and how schools will operate administratively. How this technology is inte- grated into our schools in the near term will have profound effects on our educa- tional system, and our children, for decades. Benefits of AI in Education: • Increased accessibility of information for all students and greater equity. This includes the ability of AI driven systems to present information in a student’s native language or to account for specific learning challenges. • Highly personalized presentation of information allowing each student to work at their own pace and pursue their own educational focus. • AI allows instantaneous assessment of student work and prompting to rein- force achievement. • One U.S. study reported that public school teachers in the U.S. currently spend less than 50% of their professional time with direct student contact. The use of AI for administrative tasks, professional development, and sup- porting daily classroom preparation could enable teachers to spend more time with their students. • AI can reduce overall administrative burden at the school and district levels freeing resources for students. Challenges: • Privacy - what data is gleaned from students, how that data is stored and how students are identified by educational technology companies are key concerns. • Equity issues with AI work both as benefits and real challenges. Although AI can increase equitable access for many students (speech to text, multi- language capability, global information sources, accommodation for students with learning and physical challenges are examples) this access is subject to the same inequities we see in our current educational systems. Districts with inadequate funding for advanced software, low speed or unreliable internet connectivity or outdated computer hardware cannot offer their students equal access to the benefits of AI that better funded school systems will provide. Additionally, students that lack internet access at home will experience even
SGV Community Center Stone Soup Page 9
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