School Leaders Warn AI Is A ‘Real And Present’ Danger To Education

School leaders have warned that AI poses a “real and present” danger to education, leaving teachers “bewildered” by the pace of change.

And they have cast doubt on the ability and willingness of both governments and technology companies to regulate the technology effectively to protect the interests and well-being of students.

Developments in artificial intelligence have gripped the public imagination since Open AI released ChatGPT in December last year, but there is growing disquiet at the potential impact on education.

Now a group of school leaders in the U.K. has outlined their fears in a letter published in today's London Times.

The letter warns of the “very real and present hazards and dangers” presented by AI, alongside the potential to benefit students and staff.

And while much attention has focused on the risk of students using AI to cheat in coursework and assessment, there are also concerns about the impact on children's mental health as well as on the teaching profession.

The school leaders, led by Sir Anthony Seldon, the head of Epsom College and biographer of former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair, also announced the creation of an advisory body to help teachers navigate developments in AI.

“Schools are bewildered by the very fast rate of change in AI and seek secure guidance on the best way forward, but whose advice can we trust?,” the letter said.

“We have no confidence that the large digital companies will be capable of regulating themselves in the interests of students, staff and schools and in the past the government has not shown itself capable or willing to do so.”

Sir Anthony told the Times that while AI could prove the biggest benefit to education since the printing press, the risks were “more severe than any threat that has ever faced schools”.

“Learning is at its best, human beings are at their best, when they are challenged and overcome those challenges. AI will make life easy and strip away learning and teaching – unless we get ahead of it,” he added.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak told reporters at the G7 summit in Japan that “guardrails” would have to put in place so AI could be introduced safely and securely, but the school leaders' letter cast doubt on government's ability to effectively regulate the sector.

“AI is moving far too quickly for the government or parliament alone to provide the real-time advice schools need,” said the signatories, who included Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents many school principals.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told an education technology showcase in March that AI had the potential to transform education and have a significant impact on teachers' workloads.

“The education secretary has been clear about the government’s appetite to pursue the opportunities – and manage the risks – that exist in this space, and we have already published information to help schools do this,” the Department for Education said.

“We continue to work with experts, including in education, to share and identify best practice.”

But Professor Stuart Russell, of University of California in Berkeley and a former advisor on AI to both the U.S. and U.K. governments, cautioned earlier this month that governments were not doing enough to protect the public from the impact of AI.

And Dr Geoffrey Hinton, regarded as the godfather of artificial intelligence, warned about the growing dangers of developments in AI when he quit Google, also earlier this month.