Scoop.it!
Within just the last five years, because of some prominent successes and its disruptive potential, artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from the backwaters of academic research to the forefront of public discussions, including those at the level of the United Nations. In many countries, AI has become pervasive in daily life – from smartphone personal assistants to customer support chatbots, from recommending entertainment to predicting crime, and from facial recognition to medical diagnoses.
However, while AI might have the potential to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, the rapid technological developments inevitably bring multiple risks and challenges, which have so far outpaced policy debates and regulatory frameworks. And, while the main worries might involve AI overpowering human agency, more imminent concerns involve AI’s social and ethical implications – such as the misuse of personal data and the possibility that AI might actually exacerbate rather than reduce existing inequalities.
Nonetheless, AI has also entered the world of education. ‘Intelligent’, ‘adaptive’ and ‘personalized’ learning systems are increasingly being developed by the private sector for deployment in schools and universities around the world, creating a market expected to be worth US$6 billion in 2024 (Bhutani and Wadhwani, 2018). Inescapably, the application of AI in educational contexts raises profound questions – for example about what should be taught and how, the evolving role of teachers, and AI’s social and ethical implications. There are also numerous challenges, including issues such as educational equity and access. There is also an emerging consensus that the very foundations of teaching and learning may be reshaped by the deployment of AI in education.
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