Themed AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation this year’s International Day of Education aims to inspire reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand and influence technological advancement.
“AI offers major opportunities for education, provided that its deployment in schools is guided by clear ethical principles,” Azoulay said earlier this week in a statement.
“To reach its full potential, this technology must complement the human and social dimensions of learning, rather than replace them.
“It must become a tool at the service of teachers and pupils, with the main objective being their autonomy and wellbeing.”
As computer and AI-driven systems become more sophisticated, the boundaries between human intention and machine-driven action often blur, raising critical questions about how to preserve, redefine, and ideally, elevate human agency in an age of technological acceleration.
By exploring the AI theme for this year’s Education Day, UNESCO is firmly pushing for a global discussion on the place of this technology within education, with conferences scheduled in Paris and New York, as well as a major webinar which is open to all interested stakeholders.
The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is hosting the webinar titled Lifelong learning in the age of AI from 1pm-2.30pm, CET (Central European Time) – or 11pm-12.30am AEST – bringing together policymakers, practitioners and researchers to revisit the idea of lifelong learning in the age of emerging technologies, with a thematic focus on lifelong learning as a concept, workplace learning, digital competencies of adult educators, and bridging the grey digital divide.
Senior lecturer in Digital Education and Society at Monash University’s School of Education Culture & Society, Dr Clare Southerton, said it is essential that the issue of AI in primary and secondary education is addressed as a matter of urgency, given the proliferation of AI-enabled technologies promising ‘education solutions’ with little or no evidence to prove their efficacy.
“While it is important that school children being educated today know how to engage with artificial intelligence curiously, creatively and critically, there are also limitations to what these tools can achieve and they are certainly not a replacement for good teaching practice,” Southerton said.
“There is some evidence to suggest the use of AI tools, particularly by younger children, may lower critical thinking skills, but we simply don’t have adequate data at this point to know the impact of generative AI on adults’ or children’s learning - positive or negative.
What we do have, Southerton explained, is ample evidence to show that primary and secondary teachers have a significant impact on their students.
“A key factor when engaging with AI is the expertise of the human user, so a child’s engagement with AI must always be carefully supported and supervised by a well-informed adult.”
UNESCO revealed this week that more than two-thirds of secondary school students in high-income countries are already using generative AI tools to produce schoolwork.
Teachers are increasingly using AI to prepare their lessons and assess students’ work, with school guidance and admissions, previously guided by teachers and experts, now also increasingly determined by AI.
In contrast, globally, education professionals still lack clear guidelines on these practices.
According to a survey of 450 institutions conducted by UNESCO in May 2023, just 10 per cent of schools and universities across the planet have an official framework for the use of AI.
Not surprisingly, given how quickly the technology has swamped the globe, in 2022, only seven countries had developed AI frameworks or programs for their teachers, and only 15 included objectives on AI training in their national curricula.
At the same time, more and more countries are placing restrictions on the use of new technologies in the classroom.
Interestingly, new data from UNESCO shows almost 40 per cent of countries now have a law or policy banning the use of mobile phones in schools – up from 24 per cent in July 2023.
To its credit, UNESCO has been vigilant about AI’s rapid ascent. As far back as November 2021, its Member States adopted the first global standard-setting framework on the ethics of AI.
In education, UNESCO published the first-ever Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research in September 2023, as well as two AI competency frameworks for students and teachers in 2024, addressing both the potential and the risks of AI, as a step towards it’s safe, ethical, inclusive and responsible use.
These publications include the suggestion to set an age limit of 13 for the use of AI in the classroom.
“…resources allocated by governments towards AI must be in addition to, and not divert from, the financial resources already committed to education, at a time when 1 in 4 primary schools still has no access to electricity and 60% are not connected to the Internet,” a release from UNESCO read.
“Essential needs must remain the priority: well-managed and well-equipped schools, with well-trained and well-paid teachers who are motivated by their mission.”
