Harnessing artificial intelligence for education

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The minister of education’s announcement that reading as a subject is being brought back in the primary school curriculum, and reports about the low level of literacy in a Corporate Area high school, are contrasting stories.

The Gleaner columnist, Peter Espeut, reminded us that mathematics is essential for human development. It is encouraging to be reminded of the central place of these two subjects in the education process, with emphases varying with the levels. There are other subjects that should be considered if students are to be critical thinkers and equipped with the skills that are required by a modern economy.

The next stage of the discussion must now be how can AI be used to further these learning goals. There are already interactive computer programmes that students can use to build their reading skills, comprehension, reasoning skills, and problem-solving. For the youngest, some of these are formatted as games. As AI becomes more sophisticated, so too are the applications for reading and mathematics in particular, but also for all other subjects.

Beyond instruction, there are endless applications to make school administration more efficient and effective. There is already a voluminous literature on applications to education that can be tapped by our principals, teachers and professional educators.

Perhaps The Gleaner can facilitate a national discussion that explores the active adoption of AI for education to counter the instinctive fears that AI will foster and even accelerate the dumbing down that is evident at all levels of the system. The challenges of student learning are not peculiar to the one institution that has triggered public consternation.

MICHAEL WITTER