England’s largest teaching union has criticised the government for not involving teachers in its work on artificial intelligence, after Tes revealed that a branch of one of the world’s biggest tech companies is looking to develop its chatbot for use in schools.
The NEU teaching union has warned that pressing ahead with AI in education “risks doubling down on the worst aspects of the current education system” if teachers and leaders are not involved.
The union’s concerns emerged after Tes revealed that Google DeepMind is exploring how its chatbot, Gemini, can be used safely by teachers.
Call for strategy on AI in education
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, told Tes that teaching and wider education professions must be “central to any work undertaken, or commissioned by, the government in respect of AI in education”.
He added: “Without the direct involvement of the profession then the development of AI in education risks doubling down on the worst aspects of the current education system, leading to the risk of ‘cognitive decline’ as already recognised by some research.”
The expansion of the use of AI could lead to a “cognitive collapse” in children, according to recent research by a former Department for Education adviser.
Mr Kebede said: “Not to involve the profession in such a potentially monumental technological change would be another example of things being done to - and not with - the profession”.
He said that the NEU is willing to work on this issue with other stakeholders, and called for a national strategy that responds to immediate issues around AI.
Concerns over AI ‘boosterism’
Google DeepMind will also support research into AI in education and its impact on teaching and learning.
While Mr Kebede welcomed research into the impact of AI in education, he warned that this “cannot be undertaken by business interests alone”.
“There is currently a lot of AI boosterism that is being passed off as independent research. We need an honest, evidence-based discussion around the potential and risks of AI in education,” he said.
The DfE has announced a pilot scheme to test educational technology products, published guidance on how schools can safely use AI and made assistive technology training mandatory for all new teachers.
However, Mr Kebede said that schools, academy trusts and individual teachers have been left to “develop their own policies and practices around AI”.
He told Tes: “This simply isn’t good enough.”
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