Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming education by enhancing teaching and learning, but also poses challenges that require careful management.
This was the theme of a feedback session presented by Ms Janet Bruce-Brand, Economics lecturer in UKZN’s School of Accounting, Economics and Finance (SAEF) recently.
Bruce-Brand attended the Future-Ready Brains (Learning and the Brain) conference held in New York, USA, which brought together neuroscientists, psychologists, researchers, and educators to discuss ways in which AI can be incorporated in the classroom to improve instruction and create the education required for an unpredictable future.
The feedback session highlighted AI’s role in shaping education and the future of academia.
Many fear that AI integration might result in the loss of a personal human touch in education. Bruce-Brand noted that it could reduce personal interaction and that reliance on digital systems could negatively impact human concentration and IQs, if not used appropriately. Noting that, ‘we cannot pretend that AI does not exist,’ she discussed strategies for its effective use, including policy application, in-person defence of dissertations and proper citation of AI-generated content.
Turning to concerns regarding job security, Bruce-Brand underscored the importance of digital education for students to prepare them for the job market. The skills required to adapt to the AI world include critical and creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, curiosity, and lifelong learning. ‘It is essential that we as educators are able to prepare students more realistically for the workplace,’ she said. She highlighted the need to inculcate ethical use of AI in students and to ensure that they understand the implications of using it in their assignments.
In his closing remarks, Dean and Head of the SAEF, Professor Mabutho Sibanda noted that UKZN is developing a policy on ethics around the use of AI.
Words: Ayanda Radebe
Photograph: Supplied