Melike Tanberk, who conducts research on ethics in big data and artificial intelligence at Cambridge University, wrote about the potential of artificial intelligence to transform the way children learn and the risks this transformation poses for education for AA Analytics.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Wednesday, September 2 that primary and secondary school students in public schools were temporarily banned from using artificial intelligence tools in the coming academic year.
Similar bans have been implemented in Norway and China. Countries have different approaches but similar concerns. As one of the first countries to ban smartphones, Norway is now introducing a ban on the use of artificial intelligence in primary schools. With this implementation, starting from the end of August, children between the ages of 6 and 13 will be banned from using artificial intelligence in schools in Norway. Young people between the ages of 14-16 will be able to use artificial intelligence only under teacher supervision.
While China bans independent use of generative artificial intelligence systems by primary school students, it provides training in the use of artificial intelligence within a separate curriculum for older students. This year, more than 25 thousand students in grades 7-12 in China. According to a study conducted on 10th grade students, generative artificial intelligence was found to increase homework performance but weaken learning in the long term.
Artificial intelligence and learning
One of the most basic sources of learning is curiosity. Certainly, not all learning begins with curiosity; Learning may also occur due to reasons such as necessity or need. However, curiosity enables a person to turn to new knowledge, and can be thought of as the mind's hunger for a certain knowledge. However, real learning takes time; new information is processed slowly, relates to previous experiences, is tested through practice, and eventually a change in behavior or way of thinking occurs. This process is somewhat similar to digestion. Just as the body digests the food it receives at a certain pace rather than all at once, the mind cannot immediately make the information learned. Therefore, learning is not just about accessing information; It is to make sense of that information, internalize it and make it usable.
Productive artificial intelligence undoubtedly provides rapid access to information, but this advantage does not go beyond the momentary satisfaction of curiosity rather than the actual learning of information. The child's journey, which begins with curiosity, one of the components of the learning process, ends with the perception of tokens returned from ChatGPT and the acquisition of data/information. Going back to the digestive analogy, just as fast food culture transforms food from just a food into a consumption experience designed for speed, convenience and pleasure, artificial intelligence will cause a similar transformation in education. Instead of being able to order food instantly from the cash register or application, the fast food industry eliminates laborious and time-consuming tasks such as chopping, cooking, setting and clearing the table. Okra meal or a hamburger with an ultra-processed structure that is easy to chew, consumed quickly and optimized for taste? Of course, the second option is more preferred by children and, unfortunately, parents. But it is now a known fact that the easy accessibility of fast food chemical components, which cannot be considered food and contain unknown ingredients, is closely related to the increase in obesity rates.
Fast-info: The brain's fast-food menu
Similarly, artificial intelligence is now entering education life with the 'fast-info' model. If necessary precautions are not taken, it is inevitable that 'data obese' minds will increase. The mistake of data obese people is that they think they know a lot and are knowledgeable about everything, but they are far from 'knowing themselves' in the first place. Their self-confidence in commenting causes humanity to occupy unnecessary space in the common world of thought; like inflated balloons. At this point, the issue of "knowing yourself" becomes more important in education. Realizing what one knows, what he does not know, and what he needs help with is essentially the basis of knowledge.
However, a child who grows up in data obesity may think that he is sufficient because he comes into contact with a lot of information. However, without internet or artificial intelligence support, he may have difficulty even with the most basic information: He may not know the capital of the country he lives in, its history, geographical location or the basic relationship between the earth-sun-moon. Or they may lack practical skills, such as finding direction when lost or transforming the environment they stay in into a suitable place for human life. Therefore, the issue is not the child's access to knowledge, but whether he can transform this knowledge into understanding, behavior and responsibility that can be used in life. Artificial intelligence can support this process, but alone it cannot carry all the human and pedagogical dimensions of education. Educators and teachers have certain educational models; At the beginning, the student's level should be known and the subject should be presented in accordance with the developmental level, and the teacher and the questioner should interact mutually. These can also be provided by artificial intelligence. Moreover, artificial intelligence can also develop personalized education models specific to the student.
However, human teachers are indispensable in education, as they can make mistakes from time to time, be limited and biased, misunderstand, sometimes not know, and are very slow compared to productive artificial intelligence. Because the teacher notices what the child understands or does not understand, observes his emotional state, corrects his misunderstandings, stimulates his curiosity, helps him focus and most importantly, he does these in a social learning environment until the child becomes independent in the area he needs to learn.
The teacher should establish relationships with real-life examples, encourage the student to participate actively, have discussions, projects, experiments and applications, and relate learning to the student's life. The question of whether generative artificial intelligence should be included in education is just a question of "whether it should be used or not?" It is not limited to the question. The real question is who will guide how children relate to knowledge and with what pedagogical understanding. For this reason, for the new generations growing up in a digital environment where data pollution is increasing, educational institutions should preserve their existence not only as places that transfer information, but also as fundamental areas that teach how to select, question, make sense of and learn information. These institutions must include teaching the use of artificial intelligence in accordance with the child's age and developmental process in their education.
And in the digital transformation we are in, the scaffolding that needs to be established for children should be provided by teachers. Because it is not yet known how artificial intelligence, fed with the information they obtain from children, will enslave them in the future through the data they collect and present today. With the hope of keeping alive the understanding of 'being a slave for forty years to someone who teaches one letter', which expresses the value given to knowledge and teachers, through the gratitude and responsibility felt by man towards humans, not machines.
