AI in Education: A Bane or Gain in Its Existence?

BY YANCY MORON

Google Bard. OtterAI. ChatGPT. Grammarly.

Being students amid the fourth industrial revolution, it is easy for us to name at least one website that we could simply brand as our “No 1 Sidekick” towards our battle with academic woes With the presence of these tech wonders, we can safely say that education, among other industries there are, has benefited significantly from the presence of

AI Usage in Education: How It is Faring

For someone existing in a “global village,” which the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan coined for a situation where all people across the globe being intertwined by the modern technology, one is not excused from even knowing the latest wonders technology has to offer, with the same exception not applied for artificial intelligences and machine learning (ML) In fact, AI and ML are now integrated in most of our popular websites, applications, and programs, keeping our algorithms and preferences relevant and intuitive. They suggest related information based on our searches They provide new insights that could help with our decision-making processes over our stay in the digital world In brief, they automate the often ‘slow and flawed’ processes that we, as humans, instinctively commit.

In education, this automation is manifested through various means: AI provides near-to-relevant answers regarding complex academic questions, executes swift data processing on some higherorder processes, such as synthesizing, analyzing, and evaluating written information, and diagnoses basic errors With its role as a critical driver of innovation in the academic sector, AI and its market value in education are forecasted by the Global Market Insights in 2019 to reach $20 billion in the next four years.

what many experts call “artificial intelligence (AI)” However, as the expanse of technology in the field of education miraculously unfolded its ugly sides the disparity of access between the rich and the poor, the inadvertent use of such technology leading to academic-related misconducts, and the alarming dependency of the youth to these advancements, among others is it also safe to say that AI’s development hampers its noble aim, that is, to make the lives of its users better?

Digital Poverty: An Issue AI Cannot Solve To

The development of harnessing AI’s potential is unprecedented, given the quintillion worth of global data it wishes to process However positive and hopebrimming, its perceived negative impact is a yoke that we should all never neglect. In the education sector alone, problems like the irresponsible usage of AIgenerated websites, overdependence of usage, and the underutilization of students’ higher-order thinking skills lead to a single root: poor digital literacy As the new era of technological usage continually dawns upon us, our academic populace, especially the studentry, is perceivably unprepared for the responsible, ethical, and effective usage of AI Digital skills in the Philippines, as manifested through a Manila Bulletin report in 2022, is remarked as “dismal ” Basic digital skills, which range from copying or moving a file to transferring files from one computer to another, stand at only 6% for individuals aged 15 and above; while standard digital skills, ranging from the ability to utilize basic formula in a spreadsheet program to manipulating a software program, tally at 1% Imagine a Filipino high school student using AIinfused software or a website without these pertinent skills at hand: is it not terrifying enough?

Access: The Subtle ‘A’ in AI

AI, in its developing phase, is either collectively integrated in websites or possesses its own program Regardless of its makeup, its inevitable affinity with technology makes it likewise susceptible to the ongoing disparity of access The same story is painted on the facade of AI development: basic chatbots and AI-infused education websites and programs are distant to the reaches of marginalized students So long as they are not afforded the access of technology in its most basic extent, such wonders that most students in an urban ecosystem enjoy will never be theirs. As we steer our way towards the uncharted potential of AI in education, our efforts in providing an equitable and inclusive education in the 4 0 era will be futile if our focus will not be positioned in fixing the digital divide, much in the merits of such an advancement

We can only achieve development when it is felt by the oppressed and deprived–in the case of the education sector: the students. Artificial intelligence, albeit powerful and beneficial in its own right, will not work at its best without human intervention Thus, behind its forecasted success all across industries, with focus on education, is a human: our desire to build a future for ourselves and other people around us. It can be achieved if we create AIinfused programs, software, and systems that provide various modes of accessibility to all people regardless of their digital eco chambers Ethical standards which alleviate the increasing cases of academic dishonesty and plagiarism must also be put in place by big corporations. Lastly, the call for digital literacy in the academic populace must be strengthened by incorporating the responsible utilization of AI and the technologies that utilize it. These steps toward ‘true development’ with AI strongly testify humankind’s stilldominant role in managing technology As common as it may seem, but the quote “we should not be slaves to the technology we have created” will and should still be the mentality.