Will AI literacy soon become as important a subject taught in schools as reading, writing, and math?
Many education leaders think so as ChatGPT and other new generative AI tools permeate our daily lives. After all, it’s not every day that a technology emerges that becomes widely available. compared to printing press In terms of how influential it is.
And there is a growing movement to introduce AI literacy into schools and universities. In fact, this is a rare issue that has bipartisan support. Last month, two members of Congress, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware) and Rep. Larry Buchshon (R-Ind.) — submitted a bill This is called the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act, which adds funding for AI literacy initiatives to the existing Digital Equity Act. Then, in October, the White House issued the following statement: presidential order We seek to set standards for AI safety, including its role in transforming education.
But what exactly is AI literacy? The technology is still in a precarious stage of development, with competing products from both tech giants and startups. And there are thorny and unresolved ethical questions about how often and when it is appropriate to let bots perform tasks once thought only humans could or should do.
There’s also the question of how AI literacy fits into efforts to teach coding skills in schools. After all, one of the biggest uses of generative AI so far is using tools to write computer code.
This week’s EdSurge podcast explores these issues, expanding our efforts to educate about AI, ensuring it reaches traditionally underserved communities, and engaging with ethical issues in technology. Hear from two experts working to scale.
The guests are:
- Susan Gonzalez, founder of the nonprofit organization AI and you Spreading AI literacy. She is a member of President Biden’s National AI Advisory Council and co-author of the 2022 World Economic Forum report “Blueprint for Inclusion in AI.”
- Leo Roe, a professor of library and learning sciences at the University of New Mexico, recently led a survey of librarians about the need to address ethical and privacy concerns raised by AI.He is the president-elect of the Association of University Research Libraries
Gonzalez brings the perspective of someone who previously worked in Big Tech, having spent five years as director of community engagement and policy at Facebook.
A big concern for her is overcoming fear of tools, or the feeling that they are too complex to master. After all, she says, if an educator hasn’t used a tool like her ChatGPT firsthand, she won’t be able to effectively teach her students about it.
“What we need most, especially in education, is to encourage curiosity to know more about AI,” she argues.