Why is AI Awareness Day important for teachers and young people?

Shane McCracken, Programme Director at I'm a Computer Scientist discusses the impact Artificial Intelligence is having on young people, and why it is important for teachers to help them navigate these conversations.

AI Awareness Day takes place on June 4th this year. Is it really needed?

We can’t get away from conversations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). They are happening in the news, on social media and in the pub. They are also taking place in classrooms and staff rooms too.

The conversations don’t seem to be particularly joyful either. The Policy Institute at KCL just released research to show that 48% of the British public would rather avoid Artificial Intelligence. 41% are even afraid of it.

Conversations in classrooms don’t seem to be any different.

We’ve been running AI themed chats for the past two years on I’m a Computer Scientist, Get me out of here. Our analysis of 50 of these sessions with over 650 students and the nearly 7,000 messages they’ve written, show a deep level of concern.

Students are clearly concerned about how AI will affect their job prospects. Questions range from a fairly neutral “How will AI affect jobs?” to “will i still get a job or will ai take it?”.

Ethics are a concern for students. They cite a strong awareness of how Large Language Models(LLMs) are being trained on material that might not have been freely permitted. Students ask about their role in future development of machine learning.

Inevitably conversations sometimes delve into the use of AI in education. “Do people use ChatGPT to cheat????” and “how do you suggest that schools and organisations moderate the use of ai as a support tool rather than to fuel laziness with work?”.

This backs research by Connected by Data has found that 49% of students are 'AI sceptics' and even the other half agreed that “AI should never replace face-to-face time with teachers”. Students risk feeling let down by being given 'AI' material rather than real human interaction.

It is a risk that we are all too aware. Students regularly start a chat with the expectation that the scientists they are conversing with are actually AI bots and ask for proof they are human. One teacher reassuring her students that they were real, was met with a chorus of, “Don’t be silly, Miss. Why would real scientists want to chat with us?”. The education sector needs to be alert to this danger. Students perceive AI to be a second-rate substitute for real teaching. Whether it is online or in the classroom, human interaction is vital. Enrichment resources, like I’m a Computer Scientist, help bring awareness and understanding into the classroom, from the perspective of a trusted individual.

As a society, as the education sector, we do need a deeper awareness of AI. This awareness can’t be gained within a day. We need to have conversations with students about their concerns and hopes for AI. We need to listen to them and empower them to have a voice in the decisions we make.

I’m a Computer Scientist is free to state-maintained school across the UK. To book a Chat where your students can have conversations with up to 6 computing professionals please sign up here.

Discover more resources that can help develop the way you and your students understand Artificial Intelligence, here.