Bringing AI into teaching primary school students: avoiding risks

The Director of the National Institute of Digital Technology and Digital Transformation said that bringing AI into teaching primary school students at this time is the right time, but it needs to be done properly.

This morning, September 26, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Ho Duc Thang, Director of the National Institute of Digital Technology and Digital Transformation, shared his views on bringing AI into teaching for primary school students.

Dr. Ho Duc Thang: Bringing AI into teaching primary school students is the right time, but it needs to be done correctly.

PHOTO: QUY HIEN

Safety fences are required.

According to Dr. Ho Duc Thang, the Government considers artificial intelligence (AI) a strategic technology. In the drafts of the artificial intelligence strategy that the Ministry of Science and Technology is drafting, it expresses the view that AI is one of the important tasks that must be universalized and comprehensive, bringing AI into all levels of education , not just primary school.

However, when introducing AI to primary school students, policymakers need to identify the right goals. Primary school students are still very young, and it is impossible to set a goal of turning them into "little AI engineers". Therefore, it is only necessary to equip them with three core competencies of global citizens: understanding what AI is, knowing how to use AI safely and responsibly, and having creative thinking when interacting with technology.

In addition, it is necessary to set up safety fences to protect children. "In my personal opinion, there are some tools that cannot be freely used by children, such as ChatGPT, because they do not have filters. If all AI tools are included in the education system, we will have to face high risks," said Dr. Thang.

According to him, there should be a very carefully vetted list before AI is introduced to teach children, ensuring all ethical issues at the highest level.

Another thing to note, according to Dr. Ho Duc Thang, instead of focusing on teaching AI to students, the target of attention should be teachers. It is necessary to help teachers use AI to create lectures with correct, effective, and relevant knowledge.

Experience from other countries

Dr. Ho Duc Thang also shared the experiences of some countries when introducing AI to primary school students. For example, Singapore focuses on giving students short, practical modules, focusing on concepts, helping them understand AI, how to use AI safely and responsibly.

Estonia prioritizes teacher training before introducing AI to students. "If we follow the Estonian model, we need to immediately have a standardized training program and build a core team of about 1,000 "core teachers" on AI to lead and spread experiences nationwide," said Dr. Ho Duc Thang.

South Korea made a mistake by rushing to replace textbooks with apps, but later found this approach ineffective. "For teaching young students, perhaps traditional methods still provide quality education," according to Dr. Ho Duc Thang.

The US, on the other hand, places great importance on equal access to education for primary school students. They have an E-Rate program with a budget of about 4.9 billion USD/year to ensure that all schools, whether rural or urban, have good internet.

"Bringing AI into primary school teaching now is the right time, but it must be done in the right way. First of all, we must put teachers at the center, the tools must be safe, and we must take each step steadily. We should start with a clear pilot roadmap for 18-24 months, starting from some localities, then expanding nationwide based on actual results," Dr. Ho Duc Thang stated his opinion.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dua-ai-vao-day-cho-hoc-sinh-tieu-hoc-tranh-doi-dau-voi-rui-ro-185250926152417739.htm