Editorial | AI is here to stay and must be embraced
- A move by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau to introduce the first AI curriculum for secondary school forms one to three is welcome
The emergence of generative AI tools is dramatically disrupting the education sector, as students enthusiastically adopt the new technology and use it for their work.
When ChatGPT launched in November, bans were imposed in some schools and universities. But the initial alarm among teachers and parents has quickly given way to a recognition that these powerful forms of artificial intelligence are here to stay and must be embraced.
A move by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau to introduce the first AI curriculum for secondary school forms one to three is, therefore, welcome.
There will be 10-14 hours AI teaching from September. The programme will cover basic concepts such as computer vision and robotic reasoning. Almost half of the course will focus on ethics and the impact of AI on society.
The new curriculum is urgently needed. It is important to equip students with the skills required to make effective and ethical use of the new tools. They will need this knowledge if they are to develop and flourish as AI increasingly becomes part of our daily lives.
Educators have, understandably, been concerned about the ability of ChatGPT to quickly generate compelling content, from essays to maths solutions, computer coding and video.