Impact of AI on schools examined by ETB

The profound influence of artificial intelligence driven language processing tools such as ChatGPT was discussed at a recent meeting of Cavan-Monaghan ETB, in terms of the potential risks it poses but also the immeasurable benefits it could deliver if integrated into education properly.

The implications of ChatGPT, its evolution and that of other AI chatbots such as Google’s Bard for both educators and learners were raised on foot of a report compiled by ETB Director of Schools, Paddy Flood.

He himself was one of more than 500 ETB principals, deputy principals and teachers who signed up for an online event on the subject organised by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) in conjunction with the University of Limerick earlier in the month.

As much as examining the growing impact of ChatGPT, the webinar also explored how best schools and colleges can be supported in utilising the online tool beneficially.

Mr Flood told the meeting that AI had become an integrated part of modern life, but he said it could be expected that chatbot tools would continue to develop at a “dramatic” rate over the coming year even.

He noted also how the man widely acknowledged as the godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, announced his resignation from Google in a statement, which outlined that he now regretted his work and warned of the growing dangers from developments in his field of study.

Mr Flood said the “proliferation” of chatbot apps was something that schools and colleges had to get to grips with, but to see it only as a “threat” was failing to examine the bigger picture.

It was therefore important for school leaders and teachers to “be prepared”, in order to explore the potential of this new technology and safely navigate any possible challenges it might throw up.

An essay, Mr Flood said, could be authored in a matter of minutes, one that could fool even the most up to date citation checkers. “It can all be done in seconds,” he said, amazed.

At the same time, the technology could be used to deliver notes and lesson plans with equal rapidity, leaving teachers with more time to work on other elements of the classroom.

“There are lots of applications,” Mr Flood enthused, albeit “aware of the threats” also with ChatGPT able to generate text and images following prompts even if it is not accurate or original content.

The technology had not yet developed the ability to interpret, said Mr Flood thankfully, but he cautioned that even media could be “manipulated for negative purposes”.

“This is just the beginning. It’s something that will affect your work, but there are good things also,” Mr Flood assured board members.

Fine Gael’s Aiden Campbell outlined how his child had amazed him with the content created in a matter of seconds based on a prompt for an explanation on the legacy of country music legend ‘Big Tom’.

“There’s good and bad in it,” he agreed. “I’d be afraid of it.”

He raised at the meeting how a magazine had apologised after it published an opinion article that was generated by AI, and went on to suggest that the same could be done in terms of promoting “fake news”, which he accused local media outlets The Anglo-Celt and The Northern Standard of having succumbed to.

“What will [our young people] believe now?” he asked of AI generated content.

“It’s not reality.”